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Louisiana Highway 72

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Louisiana Highway 72 marker
Louisiana Highway 72
Route information
Maintained by Louisiana DOTD
Length2.492 mi[1] (4.010 km)
Existed1955 renumbering–present
Major junctions
West endLocal road in Bossier City
Major intersections
East end US 79 / US 80 in Bossier City
Location
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishesBossier
Highway system
  • Louisiana State Highway System
← US 71→ LA 73

Louisiana Highway 72 (LA 72) is a state highway located in Bossier City, Louisiana. It runs 2.49 miles (4.01 km) in an east–west direction from the intersection of Barksdale Boulevard and Hamilton Road to a junction with the concurrent U.S. Highways 79 and 80.

The route serves as a commercial thoroughfare in Bossier City, running along Barksdale Boulevard from a point just east of the old downtown area situated near the Red River. It then passes through a cluster of shopping centers as it continues onto Old Minden Road near the junction with LA 3. LA 72 parallels Interstate 20 and provides access to the interstate at several different points along its short route.

Route description

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From the west, LA 72 begins on Barksdale Boulevard at its intersection with Hamilton Road. The route heads east on Barksdale Boulevard, a four-lane thoroughfare with a center turn lane. After a short distance, Barksdale Boulevard curves to southeast, connecting with southbound US 71. LA 72 continues straight ahead onto Old Minden Road and intersects LA 3 (Benton Spur Road), directly opposite a ramp leading to an interchange with westbound I-20 and northbound US 71. A short distance later, LA 72 passes directly through a diamond interchange with I-20 at exit 21.[2][3][4]

Continuing eastward, LA 72 intersects LA 3105 (Airline Drive) and Northgate Road, leading to the nearby Barksdale Air Force Base. The highway then curves to the north and simultaneously intersects LA 782-2 (Industrial Drive). Shortly afterward, LA 72 crosses the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) tracks at grade and passes underneath I-20. LA 72 reaches its eastern terminus immediately afterward at an intersection with the concurrent US 79/US 80 (East Texas Street).[2][3][4]

The route is classified as an urban minor arterial by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD).[5] Average daily traffic volume in 2013 ranged from 7,900 to 12,300 vehicles.[5] The entire route has a posted speed limit of 35 mph (55 km/h).[2]

History

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In the original Louisiana Highway system in use between 1921 and 1955, the modern LA 72 was originally designated as part of State Route 4, which followed the Dixie Overland Highway, an early auto trail, through northern Louisiana.[6][7] In 1926, it became part of the original route of US 80, which duplicated Route 4 east of Shreveport.[8] The Barksdale Boulevard segment also carried US 71, which shared a bridge across the Red River with US 80.[7] (Now demolished, the Traffic Street Bridge existed at the location of the current I-20 crossing.) When US 80 was re-routed through Bossier City onto Texas Street and the new Long-Allen Bridge in 1934, the former alignment became Route 4-D until the 1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering.[9][10]

La 72—From a junction with La 3 at or near Bossier City northeasterly to a junction with La-US 80.

— 1955 legislative route description[11]

LA 72 was created with the 1955 renumbering, following only the portion of the current route east of LA 3.[11] When I-20 was opened through the area in 1966,[12] US 71 began to follow the parallel interstate alignment from exit 20B–C westward across the Red River Bridge. LA 72 was then extended to follow the old route along Barksdale Boulevard west to Traffic Street and north onto Traffic Street to US 79/US 80.[13][14] (The Traffic Street segment had been used as a connector during various times when US 71 was routed over the Long-Allen Bridge; its original state route designation in the 1955 renumbering was LA 782-3.)[15][16] The Traffic Street connector was returned to local control in the 2000s,[3][17] followed by the portion of Barksdale Boulevard west of Hamilton Road in 2016,[1] giving LA 72 its current western terminus. As of 2019, the portion of LA 72 from Hamilton Road to LA 3 is under agreement to be removed from the state highway system and transferred to local control.[18]

Future

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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 entirety of LA 72 is proposed for deletion as it no longer meets a significant interurban travel function.[20]

Major intersections

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The entire highway is in Bossier City, Bossier Parish.

mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
0.0000.000Begin state maintenance at intersection of Barksdale Boulevard and Hamilton RoadWestern terminus
0.351–
0.408		0.565–
0.657

 To US 71 south (Barksdale Boulevard)
0.6361.024

 I-20 west / US 71 north – Shreveport

 US 71 south (Barksdale Boulevard)

 LA 3 north (Benton Spur Road)		Exit 20B on I-20; southern terminus of LA 3
0.924–
1.068		1.487–
1.719		 I-20 – Shreveport, MonroeExit 21 on I-20
1.7782.861
 LA 3105 (Airline Drive) to I-20
2.1133.401
 LA 782-2 east (Industrial Drive)		Western terminus of LA 782-2
2.376–
2.492		3.824–
4.010		 US 79 / US 80 (East Texas Street)Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Highway Inventory Unit (2016). "LRS Conversion Tool". Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Overview Map of LA 72" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). Bossier Parish (South Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). District 04: Official Control Section Map, Construction and Maintenance (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "La DOTD GIS". Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  6. ^ "Act No. 95, House Bill No. 206". State-Times. Baton Rouge. November 29, 1921. p. 9.
  7. ^ a b Louisiana Highway Commission, Photo-Map Department (c. 1930). Bossier Parish (Map) (c. June 1931 ed.). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Highway Commission.
  8. ^ Clason Map Company (1927). Mileage Map of the Best Roads of Louisiana (Map). Clason Map Company.
  9. ^ Louisiana Highway Commission, State Wide Highway Planning Survey (1937). Bossier Parish (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Highway Commission.
  10. ^ Louisiana Department of Highways, Traffic and Planning Section (1949). Bossier Parish (Map) (January 1, 1955 ed.). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Highways.
  11. ^ a b "Act No. 40, House Bill No. 311". State-Times. Baton Rouge. June 18, 1955. p. 3B.
  12. ^ "Interstate system in La. 37 pct. open". Times-Picayune. New Orleans. June 13, 1966. sec. 1, p. 3.
  13. ^ Louisiana Department of Highways (1966). Louisiana (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Highways.
  14. ^ Louisiana Department of Highways (1968). Louisiana (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Highways.
  15. ^ Louisiana Department of Highways (1957). Louisiana (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Highways.
  16. ^ Louisiana Department of Highways, Traffic and Planning Section (1957). Bossier Parish (Map) (January 1, 1958 ed.). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Highways.
  17. ^ Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Planning and Programming (1999). Bossier Parish (Map) (2000 ed.). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
  18. ^ http://wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Inside_LaDOTD/Divisions/Multimodal/Road_Transfer/District%2004/Bossier_South_2018_RS.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ^ "Right-Sizing the State Highway System" (PDF). Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. April 2013. p. 3. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  20. ^ Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (March 2, 2017). Right-Size the State Highway System: Bossier Parish (South Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
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