Interstate 12

Interstate 12
Republic of West Florida Parkway
Route information
Maintained by Louisiana DOTD
Length:	85.59 mi (137.74 km)
Existed:	1957 (designated); 1967 (first section opened); 1970s (completed) – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-10 in Baton Rouge
	US 61 in Baton Rouge I-55 in Hammond US 51 in Hammond US 190 between Covington and Mandeville US 11 in Slidell
East end:	I-10 / I-59 in Slidell
Location
Parishes:	East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Tangipahoa, St. Tammany
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Louisiana Highway System Interstate US State ← US 11 LA 12 →

Interstate 12 (I-12) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Louisiana. It spans a total of 85.59 miles (137.74 km) in an east–west direction from I-10 in Baton Rouge to an interchange with both I-10 and I-59 in Slidell. Along the way, it passes through the city of Hammond, where it intersects I-55 and US 51. It also serves the smaller cities of Denham Springs and Ponchatoula, as well as the St. Tammany Parish cities of Covington and Mandeville. Skirting the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain, I-12 serves as a northern bypass of the New Orleans metropolitan area and as an alternate route for I-10, which serves the heart of New Orleans itself.

I-12 parallels the older US 190 corridor and traverses the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain in the southeastern portion of the state. Its length is relatively short for a mainline interstate and is comparable with some of the longer auxiliary interstates in the country. It is also the shortest mainline interstate to terminate at the same route (I-10) at either end. Apart from serving the various communities of the North Shore, I-12 acts as a long bypass of New Orleans and is heavily used as a shortcut for through traffic on I-10. While I-10 curves to the south to pass through the city limits, I-12 takes a more direct alignment, reducing the distance between Baton Rouge and Slidell by about 22 miles (35 km).

In 1993, the Louisiana state legislature designated I-12 as the Republic of West Florida Parkway. In 2003, signs identifying the highway's official name and bearing the flag of the Republic of West Florida were erected by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) in order to highlight the unique history of Louisiana's Florida Parishes.

Louisiana is in the process of widening I-12 to three lanes in locations where the interstate is still two lanes in each direction.

Route description

I-12's eastbound exit to LA 1249, which leads to the communities of Baptist and Pumpkin Center

At the bottom of I-12's eastbound ramp to LA 59, travelers also find a shield for the unrelated I-59, some 20 miles farther east

Baton Rouge to Hammond

From the west, I-12 begins three miles east of downtown Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish at an interchange with I-10 known as the I-10/I-12 split. While I-10 heads to the southeast toward the New Orleans metropolitan area, I-12 proceeds eastward toward the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Before leaving Baton Rouge, I-12 intersects some of its major arteries, including LA 3064 (Essen Lane) and LA 73 (Jefferson Highway) via LA 1068 (Drusilla Lane). It then passes through a cloverleaf interchange with US 61 (Airline Highway). These three exits serve several of the area's key medical and shopping centers, such as the Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and Cortana Mall. The final exit in Baton Rouge is an interchange with LA 3245 (O'Neal Lane), which serves the Ochsner Medical Center and eastern suburbs.

1.3 miles (2.1 km) later, I-12 reaches the Amite River, where it enters Livingston Parish and the city of Denham Springs. I-12 skirts the southern edge of town, providing interchanges with LA 3002 (South Range Avenue) and LA 1026 (Juban Road). East of Denham springs, I-12 skirts the southern edge of Livingston Parish's only other city, Walker. The interstate's sole exit in Walker is Exit 15, an interchange with LA 447.

Past Walker are smaller communities in the eastern half of the parish. Exits include: LA 63 serving Livingston (Exit 22), LA 441 serving Holden (Exit 29), and LA 43 serving Albany and Springfield (Exit 32).

Shortly after crossing the Natalbany River into Tangipahoa Parish, I-12 intersects LA 1249, which leads to the communities of Baptist and Pumpkin Center. 3.2 miles (5.1 km) later, I-12 enters into a cloverleaf interchange with I-55 at the southeast corner of Hammond, the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish. I-55 heads toward Jackson, Mississippi on the north and New Orleans on the south. Shortly afterward, US 51 crosses over I-12, but does not intersect the interstate. There is instead an interchange with US 51 Business, which serves downtown Hammond, as well as the city of Ponchatoula to the south.

Hammond to Slidell

East of Hammond are two rural exits in southeastern Tangipahoa Parish: LA 3158 (Airport Road) to the Hammond Northshore Regional Airport, and LA 445 to Robert.

Just after crossing into St. Tammany Parish, I-12 curves to the southeast and begins to parallel the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. An interchange with LA 1077 serves the town of Madisonville to the south. The following exit, an interchange with LA 21, also connects to Madisonville as well as the parish seat of Covington to the north. Immediately before crossing the Tchefuncte River, an exit to Pinnacle Parkway and East Brewster Road serves the growing shopping area east of LA 21.

2.0 miles (3.2 km) east of the bridge, I-12 passes through an interchange with US 190 between Covington and Mandeville. This section of US 190 serves as St. Tammany's busiest north–south thoroughfare, connecting Covington and surrounding points with the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, a 24 miles (39 km)-long bridge leading to New Orleans. Further exits in St. Tammany Parish west of Slidell include LA 59 to Mandeville and Abita Springs, LA 1088 to LA 36, and LA 434 to Lacombe.

6.3 miles (10.1 km) east of the Lacombe exit, I-12 passes through an interchange with Airport Drive, which connects to Slidell Airport due north. At this exit, I-12 enters the northern edge of Slidell. An interchange with US 11 connects to the downtown area. Less than 2.0 miles (3.2 km) later, I-12 reaches its eastern terminus at a major interchange with I-10 and I-59 at the northeast corner of town. From this interchange, I-10 heads southwest toward New Orleans and east toward Bay St. Louis, Mississippi while I-59 heads north toward Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

History

Interstate 12 was added to the highway system on October 17, 1957, with I-12 running from I-10 in Baton Rouge to I-59 north of Slidell. By the mid-1960s, the routes had been realigned to their current configuration, with I-12 and I-59 both ending at I-10 near Slidell.

With major damage to the I-10 Twin Span Bridge across Lake Pontchartrain from Hurricane Katrina, I-12 was temporarily functioning as Interstate 10 between Baton Rouge and Slidell. On October 14, 2005, the eastbound span of I-10 over Lake Pontchartrain reopened to two-way traffic. The westbound span of I-10 reopened on January 6, 2006, with speed, weight and size restrictions, relieving I-12 of much of the congestion that was clogging it from the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway to the junction with I-10 and I-59.

A third lane in each direction in the Baton Rouge area opened in 2012 from O'neal Lane (Exit 7) to Juban Road (Exit 12). The widening was extending to Exit 15 (Walker South Road/LA 447). This section opened in 2013. The interstate was widened in Slidell from the I-10/I-12/I-59 split to just west of US 11. This section opened in 2011.

Future

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is currently widening I-12 from Walker to just west of Satsuma, Louisiana. This is expected to be completed in Summer 2015.

In 2015, widening began on a section of I-12 in Slidell from the just west of US 11 to Airport Drive (Exit 80). Expected completion is Late 2016.

Repaving of the I-10/I-12/I-59 split in Slidell began in Spring 2015, with an expected completion date of Summer 2016.

Exit list

Parish	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
East Baton Rouge	Baton Rouge	0.0	0.0	–	I-10 east – New Orleans	Western terminus
		0.8	1.29	1A	I-10 west – Baton Rouge	Exit 159 on I-10
		1.2– 1.5	1.9– 2.4	1B	LA 3064 (Essen Lane)	No westbound exit
		2.1	3.4	1C	LA 1068 (Drusilla Lane) to LA 73 (Jefferson Highway)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		2.6– 3.1	4.2– 5.0	2	US 61 (Airline Highway)	Signed as exit 2A (south) and 2B (north); to Hammond Aire Plaza and Mall at Cortana
		3.8– 4.3	6.1– 6.9	4	Sherwood Forest Boulevard
		5.7– 6.4	9.2– 10.3	6	Millerville Road
		6.8– 7.3	10.9– 11.7	7	LA 3245 (O'Neal Lane)
East Baton Rouge– Livingston line	Denham Springs	8.3– 8.8	13.4– 14.2	Bridge over Amite River
Livingston		10.0– 10.5	16.1– 16.9	10	LA 3002 – Denham Springs
	​	12.4– 12.9	20.0– 20.8	12	LA 1026 (Juban Road)
	Walker	15.6– 16.2	25.1– 26.1	15	LA 447 – Walker, Port Vincent
	​	19.6– 20.1	31.5– 32.3	19	PR 45 – Satsuma, Colyell
	Livingston	22.5– 23.1	36.2– 37.2	22	LA 63 – Livingston, Frost
	​	28.8– 29.3	46.3– 47.2	29	LA 441 – Holden
	Hungarian Settlement	32.6– 33.2	52.5– 53.4	32	LA 43 – Albany, Springfield
Tangipahoa	​	34.7– 35.4	55.8– 57.0	35	LA 1249 – Baptist, Pumpkin Center
	Hammond	37.9– 38.5	61.0– 62.0	38	I-55 – New Orleans, Jackson, MS	Signed as exit 38A (south) and 38B (north); I-55 exits 29A-B
		39.9– 40.4	64.2– 65.0	40	US 51 Bus. – Hammond, Ponchatoula
	​	42.4– 42.9	68.2– 69.0	43	LA 3158 north (Airport Road)	Southern terminus of LA 3158; to Hammond Northshore Regional Airport
	​	47.5– 47.8	76.4– 76.9	47	LA 445 – Robert
St. Tammany	​	56.8– 57.4	91.4– 92.4	57	LA 1077 – Goodbee, Madisonville
	​	59.1– 59.8	95.1– 96.2	59	LA 21 – Covington, Madisonville
	​	60.1– 60.7	96.7– 97.7	60	Pinnacle Parkway, East Brewster Road
	​	60.8– 61.0	97.8– 98.2	Bridge over Tchefuncte River
	​	62.5– 63.3	100.6– 101.9	63	US 190 – Covington, Mandeville	Signed as exit 63A (east) and 63B (west), to Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
	​	65.5– 66.1	105.4– 106.4	65	LA 59 – Abita Springs, Mandeville
	​	68.0– 68.8	109.4– 110.7	68	LA 1088 to LA 36 – Mandeville
	Lacombe	73.8– 74.4	118.8– 119.7	74	LA 434 – St. Tammany, Lacombe
	Slidell	80.1– 80.7	128.9– 129.9	80	Airport Drive, North Shore Boulevard	To Slidell Airport
		83.5– 83.7	134.4– 134.7	83	US 11 – Pearl River, Slidell
		85.2– 86.2	137.1– 138.7	85	I-10 / I-59 north – New Orleans, Hattiesburg, MS, Bay St. Louis, MS	Eastern terminus; signed as exit 85A (I-10 west), 85B (I-59), and 85C (I-10 east), exit 267B on I-10 and 1C on I-59; Southern Terminus of I-59
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

See also

• Louisiana portal
• U.S. Roads portal

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• La DOTD State, District, and Parish Maps