Airline barrier on the way

State finishes engineering on guardrail barrier, set for bid on May 27

For decades, parish residents have wondered how long it would be before some type of barrier was put in place along Airline Highway to prevent wayward vehicles from sinking into the deep canal.

Finally, the wait seems to be over.

The state Department of Transportation and Development has already completed engineering on the barrier and will send the project out to bid on May 27, according to Frank Standige, the DOTD’s area engineer for Kenner.

“It’s going to be a guardrail barrier that will start north of LA 50 and go to Norco where the canal ends,” Standige said. “All the engineering is complete and the project specs are in Baton Rouge right now to make sure everything is correct before it goes out for bid.”

Last August, Senate President Joel Chiasson helped secure $1 million in funds to be used towards a barrier on Airline. At one point, the state was considering installing a cable barrier system along the dangerous highway, which was said to cost $1 million. One of the supposed benefits of a cable barrier is that it prevents vehicles from bouncing back into traffic.

However, a huge problem with installing any type of barrier was that soil along the road is so swampy, which is why the state had rejected a cable barrier along Airline in the past.

“That’s probably why the engineers decided to go with a guardrail,” Standige said.

Parish President V.J. St. Pierre said that he and the parish are pleased to see this project finally come to fruition.
“We are thankful to Senator Chiasson and all who helped secure state funding,” he said. “This guardrail will help protect motorists in a very dangerous area, and we are looking forward to the reduction of serious accidents along the canal.”

Though installing a barrier along Airline has been something that many residents have asked for for years, the debate really heated up in 2003 after two crashes resulted in six fatalities, including four children.

At that time, the U.S. 61 Task Force Committee was formed and listened to recommendations from residents. But when the committee released their own recommendations, a barrier was not among those chosen. Instead, the committee wanted to inform the public about the proper way to escape a submerged vehicle, add three additional crossovers and make left turn lane improvements.