Louisiana Highway 20

Louisiana Highway 20 marker

Louisiana Highway 20
Route information
Maintained by Louisiana DOTD
Length: 36.6 mi[1] (58.9 km)
Existed: 1955 renumbering – present
Major junctions
West end: LA 182 in Gibson
 

US 90 in Gibson
US 90 in Chacahoula
LA 24 in Schriever
LA 1 / LA 308 in Thibodaux

LA 3127 in North Vacherie
East end: LA 18 in North Vacherie
Location
Parishes: Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. James
Highway system
  • Louisiana Highway System
← I-20LA 21 →

Louisiana Highway 20 (LA 20) is a state highway that serves Terrebonne Parish, Lafourche Parish, and St. James Parish. It spans a total of 36.6 miles (58.9 km)[1] as a two lane, undivided road.

Route description

From the south, LA 20 begins at LA 182 in the northwest Terrebonne Parish town of Gibson. The road parallels then intersects U.S. 90 (Future I-49) at two locations (Exits 189 & 194) as it heads northeastward, where it intersects LA 24 in Schriever. LA 20 turns due north and intersects LA 1 in Thibodaux as it continues northward. The road then passes through Chackbay before it enters St. James Parish. LA 20 runs northward through South Vacherie and ends at an intersection with LA 18 in North Vacherie.

History

In 1972, LA 20 was routed off of Jackson Street in downtown Thibodaux and onto parallel Canal Boulevard, a four-lane, largely residential thoroughfare.[2] The extension of Canal Boulevard north of Bayou Lafourche was to be opened soon, bypassing St. Patrick Street.[2][3] The route change was opposed by Thibodaux's mayor, Warren Harang, and the Louisiana Department of Highways agreed to keep truck traffic routed via Jackson Street,[2] which was retained as LA 20 Spur.[4] By the late 1990s, LA 20 was routed back onto Jackson Street, reinstating a short concurrency with LA 1 from St. Mary Street to West 1st Street and utilizing LA 308 to connect with North Canal Boulevard.[5][6]

In Vacherie, LA 20 originally turned east along LA 18 and crossed the Mississippi River by ferry to Lutcher.[7][8] It then followed what is now LA 3274 to a terminus at US 61 (Airline Highway).[7][8] The ferry service was replaced by the newly opened Gramercy Bridge (or Veterans Memorial Bridge) in May 1995,[9] and LA 20 was truncated to its present terminus in Vacherie two years later.[5][10]

Major intersections

ParishLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
TerrebonneGibson0.00.0 LA 182 (Bayou Black Drive)Western terminus
1.21.9 US 90 – Morgan City, New OrleansExit 189 on US 90
Chacahoula5.69.0 LA 309 north (Brule Guillot Road)Southern terminus of LA 309
5.99.5 US 90 – Morgan City, New OrleansExit 194 on US 90
Lafourche
 No major junctions
TerrebonneSchriever12.520.1 LA 24 east (Main Street, Park Avenue) – HoumaInterchange; western terminus of LA 24
13.722.0 LA 3185 (Elizabeth Street)Southeastern terminus of LA 3185
14.823.8 LA 648 (Percy Brown Road)Southwestern terminus of LA 648
LafourcheThibodaux15.124.3 LA 3107 (Talbot Avenue)Eastern terminus of LA 3107
16.426.4 LA 1 north (St. Mary Street) – NapoleonvilleWest end of LA 1 concurrency
16.526.6 LA 1 south (West 1st Street) – RacelandEast end of LA 1 concurrency
16.626.7 LA 308 north (Bayou Road) – NapoleonvilleWest end of LA 308 concurrency
16.927.2 LA 308 south (Bayou Road) – RacelandEast end of LA 308 concurrency
Chackbay22.736.5 LA 304Northeastern terminus of LA 304
27.744.6 LA 307 south – KraemerNorthern terminus of LA 307
St. JamesSouth Vacherie31.650.9 LA 643 east – Lac Des AllemandsWestern terminus of LA 643
32.051.5 LA 644 eastWestern terminus of LA 644
North Vacherie33.954.6 LA 3127 – Donaldsonville, Boutte
36.658.9 LA 18 (River Road) – Donaldsonville, Luling / Mississippi River BridgeEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. 1 2 3 Microsoft; Nokia (November 5, 2012). "Map of LA 20" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Truck traffic route changed in Thibodaux". Morning Advocate. Baton Rouge. December 29, 1972. p. 16A.
  3. ↑ Lafourche Parish (North Section) (Map) (January 1, 1958 ed.). Cartography by Department of Highways Traffic and Planning Section. Louisiana Department of Highways. 1953.
  4. ↑ Louisiana (Map). Cartography by Louisiana Department of Highways. Louisiana Department of Highways. 1976.
  5. 1 2 The Roads of Louisiana (Map). Cartography by Shearer. Shearer Publishing. 1997. p. 75.
  6. ↑ Lafourche Parish (West Section) (Map). Cartography by Office of Planning and Programming. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. 1998.
  7. 1 2 "Act No. 40, House Bill No. 311". State-Times. Baton Rouge. June 18, 1955. p. 3B–4B.
  8. 1 2 St. James Parish (Map) (January 1, 1958 ed.). Cartography by Department of Highways Traffic and Planning Section. Louisiana Department of Highways. 1953.
  9. ↑ Bell, Rhonda; Hyman, Vicki (May 5, 1995). "St. John, St. James link open". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. A1.
  10. ↑ St. James Parish (Map). Cartography by Office of Planning and Programming. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. 1999.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

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