BATON ROUGE — The Pecue Lane project in Baton Rouge is progressing forward, and new street lights have been installed at an intersection known for traffic crashes. DOTD tells UWK the three-part Pecue Lane project is in its third and final phase of work.
MoveBR shares that street lights were installed as a temporary safety improvement for visibility at the intersection of Highland Road and Pecue Lane in September. The City-Parish coordinated with Entergy to install the lighting at the existing intersection.
The Highland at Pecue project proposes to improve the existing intersection conditions by converting the current three-leg intersection into a roundabout intersection, according to MoveBR. The project also aims to improve safety and overall traffic for each approaching leg to the new intersection.
In October 2024, UWK shared that the intersection was the site of many crashes, including one that killed 24-year-old Valencia Joquawn Jones and seriously injured her two-year-old son on Oct. 9, 2024.
According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office in at the time of reporting in 2024, there had been 14 crashes at that intersection, which resulted in one fatality and three others with reported injuries. Neighbors spoke out about the need for additional safety improvements before any more new developments in the area.
Pecue Road: A three-phase road project
The Pecue Road widening project was broken up into three phases and is a joint effort with the City-Parish, according to DOTD’s Rodney Mallet.
That project is expected to be completed by mid-to-late 2026 and is designed to widen Pecue Lane from Perkins Road to Airline Highway, improving access to Woman’s Hospital by connecting the road with I-10.
- Phase 1 began June 2017, completed in summer 2018. (included clearing, grubbing & earthwork)
- Phase 2 began summer 2019, still ongoing (construction of MSE walls & replacing 2 lane bridge with multilane bridges)
- Phase 3 began in spring 2023, estimated to be complete in spring 2026
Phase 1 of the project including clearing and grubbing, along with earthwork. Phase 2 is still ongoing at this time, and included the construction of MSE walls and replacing two-lane bridges with multi-lane bridges, Mallet said.
In 2023, work widening Pecue and reconstructing the railroad started. Other projects within this work include the Ward Creek bridges, placing concrete for on/off ramps, the Reiger Road connection, and DDI construction, Mallet explained. This portion should be completed by spring 2026.
DOTD said the purpose of the work is to complete asphalt mill and overlay operation at this intersection.
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2 Responses
Mason Miller, there is no such thing as I 190. It is simply a US highway, not an interstate so it should just be Hwy 190 or US 190.
Juban Road is ridiculous. How about let’s stop adding roundabouts in places not needed like in between the Racetrac on Juban and 190. The roundabout is not even at the light. I went through last week it was horrible and a disaster for that roundabout not to mention the entire rest of the road in that stretch that’s torn up. How about let’s fix the roads that are damaged and infrastructures in this parish. But no greedy pockets are so deep out here they keep piling people in this parish in houses and apartments. How about take all of the building , roundabouts, road medians, houses , apartments etc and bring them to EBR down 190 and North BR.