The "Louisiana Shuffle"

This I-49 South idea from Lafayette to New Orleans, LA has me a little queazy. Odd interstates are supposed to run north/south, not (almost-due-) east/west, as this one would. I have two possible solutions to the problem. Both are identical except for in the New Orleans and Lafayette areas. Down there, one would use the existing system, while the other is more of a "fictional" idea which would require new construction. (NOTE: these opinions are my own and DO NOT reflect those of the Federal Highway Administration or the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.)

I eventually plan on having maps up showing my ideas. In the interim, the following table shows what route renumbering I would do. Option 1, listed below, is my ideas using the existing and planned system:

OLD ROUTE	LOCATION	NEW ROUTE
I-10	I-10/Future I-49 South in Lafayette to I-12 in Baton Rouge	I-12
I-10	I-12 in Baton Rouge to I-55 near La Place	I-255
I-10	I-55 to I-10/BUS US 90 in downtown New Orleans	I-55
Future I-49 South	I-10/I-49 in Lafayette to I-10/BUS US 90 in downtown New Orelans	I-10
I-110	In Baton Rouge	I-112
Future South Baton Rouge bypass	I-10 near Port Allen to I-12 near Airline Hwy	I-212

In a nutshell, I would reroute I-10 onto the Future I-49 South corridor, which makes more sense than extending I-49 along it, since it's east/west. I-12 gets extended along existing I-10 between Baton Rouge and Lafayette, and I-610 covers the New Orleans to Baton Rouge segment. As an option for those who don't like a 2di ending at a 3di, I-55 could be extended down current I-10 into New Orleans, with the I-12 to I-55 section of current I-10 being given an I-X12 or I-X55 designation.

Option 2 is basically similar to Option 1, except that I add additional construction in Lafayette and New Orleans. I would build a southern bypass to Lafayette, connecting to US 90 near Broussard and to I-10 near Duson, which would form a full loop around Lafayette. I-10 would be rerouted onto this southern leg, I-12 extended west along the north leg, and the eastern leg of the loop, depending on where it's built could be given I-312, a new I-110, or an I-49 extension.

The other new construction would be in New Orleans, and would create a southern bypass of most of the city for I-10. Starting on the Westbank Expressway near LA 428 (and the southern end of the MS River bridge), I would build a new leg east through southern New Orleans, build a new river crossing near Chalmette, and then run I-10 north along an upgraded LA 47 and I-510. In this case, I would extend I-610 east to the current I-10/I-510 interchange, rename the current I-10 downtown loop I-810, and extend I-55 across the river bridge segment of the Westbank.

The following table shows both old and "new" route numbers under Option 2. Unlike the Option 1 table, the following table is organized by "New Route":

OLD ROUTE	LOCATION	NEW ROUTE
Fictional Southwest Lafayette Bypass	I-10 near Rayne to US 90 south of Broussard	I-10
Future I-49 South	US 90 south of Broussard to BUS US 90/LA 23 in Gretna	I-10
Fictional East New Orleans Loop	BUS US 90/LA 23 in Gretna to I-510/Intracoastal Waterway	I-10
I-510	Intracoastal Waterway to I-10/LA 47 in East New Orleans	I-10
I-10	Near Rayne to I-12 in Baton Rouge	I-12
Future I-49 South	I-10/I-49 in Lafayette to US 90 south of Broussard	I-49
I-10	I-55 to I-10/BUS US 90 in downtown New Orleans	I-55
Future I-49 South	BUS US 90/LA 23 in Gretna to I-10/BUS US 90 in downtown New Orleans	I-55
I-110	In Baton Rouge	I-112
Future South Baton Rouge bypass	I-10 near Port Allen to I-12 near Airline Hwy	I-212
I-10	I-12 in Baton Rouge to I-55 near La Place	I-255
I-10	I-10/I-610 in New Orleans to I-10/I-510 in East New Orleans	I-610
I-10	I-10/BUS US 90 in downtown New Orleans to I-10/I-610 in New Orelans	I-810