Construction of the first of three roundabouts planned for La. 30 near Interstate 10 in Gonzales has begun as have the road closures expected to come with the two-year project.
South St. Landry Avenue and North Robert Wilson Road were closed at La. 30 on Friday morning and are expected to remain that way for the next year and a half, state highway officials said.
South St. Landry and North Robert Wilson meet at the same point on La. 30, just west of I-10 and the commercial zone that includes the Tanger Outlets Mall and the Cabela's shopping area.
In addition to the extended closures of North Robert Wilson and South St. Landry, La. 30 is narrowed in this area.
Crews will also be installing temporary striping between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. Wednesday. The work will require alternating single-lane closures, state highway officials said.
The contractor will be building a new roundabout at that intersection and related drainage structures.
The current first phase of road closures are expected to last for the next six to nine months, state highway officials said.
The roundabout is the first of three planned for the busy area. The La. 30/I-10 interchange nearby carries 24,000 vehicles per day, state highway officials have said.
In later phases, the $29 million state construction project will also install two-lane roundabouts at the on- and off-ramps along both sides of the I-10/La. 30 interchange, in addition to the La. 30 and South St. Landry Road/North Robert Wilson intersection.
South St. Landry runs south of La. 30 and is a primary access route to Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, a parish-owned multi-use facility.
The closures came the week after the Rock the Country concert at the facility. Parish officials say at least 22,000 tickets were sold for the event and it drew heavy vehicle traffic.
North Robert Wilson runs north of La. 30 and provides access to businesses and homes in Gonzales.
The detour for motorists traveling north on South St. Landry and trying to reach La. 30 includes turning right on Outfitters Drive and then left onto Cabela’s Parkway. That road takes drivers to a traffic light at La. 30.
The detour for motorists traveling east on North Robert Wilson Rd. and trying to reach La. 30 includes turning right on to Isom Sanders Road before getting to North Robert Wilson and then traveling south on Isom Sanders to La 30.
