GONZALES State highway officials will unveil plans next month to improve traffic flow through the La. 44 corridor south of Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish where major housing projects have sproutedover the past two decades and more are on the way.

Many residents say the traffic is already oppressive and fear new projects under development will only make the problem worse.

The state Department of Transportation and Development has been working on studies of La. 73 in the Dutchtown area and La. 44 in Gonzales and the Burnside area as these two highway corridors have continued to feel the brunt of the population growth in Ascension, highway officials said.

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While the La. 73 "corridor study" is still under review, DOTD's corridor analysis for La. 44 between I-10 and La. 22 has led to plans to combine funds from the state, the city of Gonzales, subdivision developers and possibly parish government to see through the first phase of the concept, officials said. But there won't be enough money to extend the work all the way down to La. 22.

DOTD and other officials briefly described the first phase of improvements in advance of the public open house in Gonzales on Aug. 7 from 4 to 6 p.m.Two roundabouts would be added to La. 44 roughly between I-10 and just south of Loosemore Road. In addition, La. 44 would be widened from two to four lanes between I-10 and the first of the roundabouts planned north of Loosemore.

Even as DOTD pulls together its plans for the meeting next month, earth work is underway for the massive mixed-use Conway project in Gonzales and the 163-home Oak Lake subdivision in unincorporated Ascension across La. 44 from Conway.

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GONZALES State highway officials are conducting or planning corridor studies to see how

The area south of I-10, which is partially in Gonzales and partially in unincorporated Ascension, is already home to large subdivisions like Pelican Point, Pelican Crossing and River Ridge. More are on the drawing board, including the 951-home Conway, Oak Lake and the 780-home Riverton subdivision along nearby La. 22. Conway will also have apartments and retail and be next to a proposed public high school.

The bumper-to-bumper traffic on two-lane La. 44 became a major theme in recent years when Conway, Riverton, Oak Lake and other projects moved through local planning review.

Residents critical of those residential developments frequently spoke at the time about being unable to get onto La. 44 from Loosemore during peak travel times because of the continuous stream of traffic.

The highway is the only nearby route to I-10 from the burgeoning area that was once cane fields and cow pasture. La. 44 also serves traffic to plants along the Mississippi River.

GONZALES As Ascension political leaders consider a temporary halt on new development, the

State highway officials said they will have plans and want comments for the entire La. 44 corridor, but Rodney Mallet, DOTD spokesman, said there aren't funds to do more improvements farther south on La. 44 toward La. 22. Details on additional phases were not immediately available.

Mallett said the total cost for the first round of improvements isn't yet available. DOTD is counting on state safety funds and general obligation bond revenue to help pay for that first phase. But additional money is also expected from a variety of other sources, local officials and developers said, as developers and local governments are expected to chip in to tackle pieces and parts of the first phase of upgrades along La. 44.

For instance, the developers of Conway are expected to build a roundabout in front of their project on La. 44 and pay for part of a second northbound lane on the state highway, said Jackie Baumann, Gonzales' city engineer. The highway section would extend from the future Conway roundabout to the development's property line. The cost for the lane and roundabout are expected to be about $4.5 million.

Gonzales is contributing another $1.3 million to finish the remainder of the second northbound lane on La. 44 from Conway's north property line to I-10, Baumann said.

That cash is coming from DOTD as part of a road exchange between the city and the highway department. Gonzales is taking over long-term responsibility for another section of La. 44 for the $1.3 million and for improvements to that other section of La. 44, which runs through the heart of the city, City Clerk Clay Stafford said.

Also known as Burnside Avenue, the highway section in the center of town recently received DOTD-fundedroad, sidewalk, curb and other improvements between the Kansas City Southern railroad tracks and Cornerview Road, Stafford said.

Also, the developers of Oak Lake, which is across La. 44 from Conway and in the parish, are planning to contribute to the cost of building the second southbound lane on La. 44.

Deric Murphy, the engineering representative for that developer, said Friday that the contribution remains a subject of negotiation since Oak Lake must pay more than $300,000 in road impact fees to the parish government.

Parish government officials also said they are considering contributing to the cost of the second roundabout south of Loosemore Road if the state needs additional money.

DOTD officials said oral and written comments about plans for the La. 44 corridor can be submitted at the meeting Aug. 7 or mailed by Aug. 21 to DOTD.

The open house will be in the large conference room inside the Ascension Parish Governmental Complex, 615 E. Worthey Road, Gonzales.

Follow David J. Mitchell on Twitter, @NewsieDave.

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With more growth headed to southern Ascension, DOTD considers plans to widen La. 44, add roundabout - The Advocate