Louisiana Highway 76

Louisiana Highway 76
Route of LA 76 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Louisiana DOTD
Length:	25.516 mi[1] (41.064 km)
Existed:	1955 renumbering – present
Major junctions
West end:	LA 77 in Maringouin
	LA 3000 north of Ramah LA 77 in Rosedale LA 415 west of Port Allen
East end:	LA 1 / LA 987-4 in Port Allen
Location
Parishes:	Iberville, West Baton Rouge
Highway system
Louisiana Highway System Interstate US State ← LA 75 LA 77 →

Louisiana Highway 76 (LA 76) is a state highway located in southeastern Louisiana. It runs 25.52 miles (41.07 km) in a general east–west direction from LA 77 in Maringouin to the junction of LA 1 and LA 987-4 in Port Allen.

The route initially heads south from Maringouin alongside the bayou of the same name before turning east through the village of Rosedale. This portion of LA 76 makes a loop off of LA 77 and connects the two communities to Interstate 10 (I-10) via LA 3000 at Ramah. East of Rosedale, LA 76 crosses from Iberville Parish into West Baton Rouge Parish and parallels I-10 into Port Allen, the parish seat. The east–west portion of LA 76 is also signed as an Incident Alternate Route of I-10.

LA 76 was designated in the 1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering, essentially replacing State Route 998 and State Route 142 west of Rosedale, as well as short portions of State Route 1, State Route 7, and State Route 30 between Rosedale and Port Allen. This latter stretch had served as part of the Jefferson Highway auto trail, as well as U.S. Highways 71 and 190 before the completion of the Huey P. Long Bridge across the Mississippi River in 1940.

Route description

From the west, LA 76 begins at a T-intersection with LA 77 in the small Iberville Parish town of Maringouin. It heads south, continuing the path of LA 77 alongside Bayou Maringouin. After 5.8 miles (9.3 km), LA 3000 picks up the route and proceeds a short distance further to an interchange with I-10 at Ramah. Meanwhile, LA 76 turns northeast onto Rosedale Road and continues into the village of Rosedale. Here, the highway has a second junction with LA 77, which follows Bayou Grosse Tete through the area. LA 76 crosses a bascule bridge over the bayou and immediately intersects LA 411 on the opposite bank. Just northeast of Rosedale, the surroundings change abruptly from rural farmland to thickly wooded wetlands, and LA 76 crosses into West Baton Rouge Parish.^[2][3][4]

About 3.5 miles (5.6 km) across the parish line, LA 76 intersects LA 413 (Poydras Bayou Drive), connecting with US 190 at Erwinville. Soon afterward, LA 76 curves due east, and the surroundings return to rural farmland. Four miles (6.4 km) later, LA 76 intersects LA 1145 (Calumet Road) and then dips south slightly to a junction with LA 415 (Lobdell Highway), a four-lane thoroughfare. Rosedale Road continues straight ahead as part of LA 986 while LA 76 turns south to run concurrent with LA 415 for a short distance. LA 76 turns east again onto Court Street just north of an interchange with I-10 and returns to its original two-lane capacity.^[2][4][5]

The highway then proceeds into the small city of Port Allen, which serves as the parish seat. Immediately after crossing the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) line at grade, LA 76 ends at a junction with LA 1 (Alexander Avenue), a divided four-lane highway with service roads. Court Street continues straight ahead toward the Mississippi River as part of LA 987-4.^[2][4][5]

Route classification and data

LA 76 has several different classifications by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD) over the course of its route. It generally functions as a rural minor collector along the Bayou Maringouin road, a rural major collector along Rosedale Road, an urban principal arterial along Lobdell Highway, and an urban minor arterial along Court Street. Daily traffic volume in 2013 peaked at 24,100 vehicles on Lobdell Highway outside of Port Allen. The lowest numbers were reported south of Maringouin with an average between 790 and 970 vehicles per day.^[6] The posted speed limit is generally 55 mph (90 km/h) in rural areas, but is reduced as low as 25 mph (40 km/h) through town.^[2]

History

In the original Louisiana Highway system in use between 1921 and 1955, LA 76 was part of several different routes, including State Route 998 along Bayou Maringouin; State Route 142 to Rosedale; State Route 1 and State Route 7 to Lobdell Highway; and State Route 30 into Port Allen.^[7][8] The section between Rosedale and Port Allen had formerly been part of one of the state's most important highways, the Jefferson Highway auto trail, which was the main traffic route between New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport in the days before the numbered U.S. Highway system.^[9] It became part of the original alignment of US 71 in 1926^[10][11] and then US 190 in 1935 when the latter was extended west from Baton Rouge.^[12][13] This portion of what is now LA 76 connected to the Baton Rouge ferry across the Mississippi River before the completion of the Huey P. Long Bridge upstream on the current alignment of US 190 in 1940.^[14][15] This and other highway realignments in the area caused the Rosedale Road to decline in importance in the years leading up to the Louisiana Department of Highways' renumbering of the state highway system in 1955.^[16]

LA 76 was created in the 1955 renumbering, bringing portions of several different former routes under a single designation.^[17]

Class "B": La 76—From a junction with La 77 at or near Rosedale to a junction with La 1 at or near Port Allen.
Class "C": La 76—From a junction with La 77 at or near Maringouin through or near Ramah to a junction with La 77 at or near Rosedale.

— 1955 legislative route description^[17]

With the 1955 renumbering, the state highway department initially categorized all routes into three classes: "A" (primary), "B" (secondary), and "C" (farm-to-market).^[18] This system has since been updated and replaced by a more specific functional classification system.

Future

La DOTD is currently engaged in a program that aims to transfer about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of state-owned roadways to local governments over the next several years.^[19] Under this plan of "right-sizing" the state highway system, the eastern portion of LA 76 along Court Street in the Port Allen area is proposed for deletion as it no longer meets a significant interurban travel function.^[20]

Major intersections

Parish	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Iberville	Maringouin	0.000	0.000	LA 77 north to US 190 – Livonia LA 77 south (Landry Drive) – Maringouin, Rosedale	Western terminus
	​	5.813	9.355	LA 3000 south to I-10 – Ramah	Northern terminus of LA 3000
	Rosedale	9.394	15.118	LA 77 – Grosse Tete, Maringouin
		9.411– 9.454	15.146– 15.215	Bridge over Bayou Grosse Tete
		9.457	15.220	LA 411 north to US 190	Southern terminus of LA 411
West Baton Rouge	​	14.164	22.795	LA 413 north (Poydras Bayou Drive) – Erwinville	Southern terminus of LA 413
	​	20.619	33.183	LA 1145 north (Calumet Road)	Southern terminus of LA 1145
	​	22.596	36.365	LA 415 north (Lobdell Highway) LA 986 (Rosedale Road)	Southern terminus of LA 986; west end of LA 415 concurrency
	​	23.377– 23.462	37.622– 37.758	LA 415 south (Lobdell Highway) to I-10	East end of LA 415 concurrency
	Port Allen	25.506– 25.516	41.048– 41.064	LA 1 (Alexander Avenue) LA 987-4 (Court Street)	Eastern terminus of LA 76; western terminus of LA 987-4
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

• Louisiana portal
• U.S. Roads portal

References

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• La DOTD State, District, and Parish Maps