Louisiana Roads - US 90/Future I-49 - W. of New Orleans

US 90/Future I-49 west of New Orleans

All photos are WB.


LA 631 is old US 90 through Des Allemands. After this, LA 182 takes over that function until Lafayette. The old route crosses Bayou des Allemands on a swing bridge, and the railroad bridge in back looks to be another. The town name means "of Germans," which only makes sense when it starts with another word like "Bayou."


At the first instance of LA 182, which simply never belongs in a stretched shield, there's still a trace of when divided US 90 shrank back into a two-lane road to go through Houma. Being a big city, it was probably one of the last places to be bypassed by the four-lane highway.


Outside Houma, my kingdom for an arrow by those shields, and while I like the miniature letters inside the US 90 shield, they belong outside it. (Though that may make this assembly rather complicated to assemble properly.) Until very recently, Exit 176 was unnumbered and for East Blvd. The numbering is tied to the designation of US 90 between Lafayette and New Orleans as future I-49, but these are US 90's numbers, not I-49's.


Across Berwick Bay from Morgan City, part of the Atchafalaya River system. I wish I could be crossing the LA 182 bridge to the right, so obviously old US 90. To the left is a railroad bridge, still more exciting than the one I'm on.


You'll soon get tired of the Future Corridor I-49 signs, but this one is a novelty because it's not paired with a US 90 shield. Starting with the Battle of Bisland, the last several photos are shared with LA 182 west of Patterson. Sometimes, a child can't help but come back to the mother.


Tired of them yet? And there are plenty more I didn't photograph. These also exhibit three very different US 90 shields, two old, one wrong. The third one is just right. The LA 317 shield isn't just right, because on BGS's three- and four-digit routes are supposed to have wider state outlines. I think the greenout is covering Ellerslie.


This is how to make a wide shield. This is not how to make an exit tab. If Exit 176 above is shown despite not being I-49's numbers, why can't this be shown as Exit 152 (roughly)? Where's the consistency?


A new interchange takes shape at LA 85, Patout Rd. in Jeanerette. There are many more sections to go before the freeway makes it up to I-10 and gains the I-49 designation, but this is the last exit needing to be completed for quite some distance in either direction near New Iberia. After this, the only remaining work on this section will be to close the connections that cross US 90 so that traffic has to use the frontage road to the nearest interchange.


Another sign with no number, this would be US 90 Exit 134. Normally, this would be a county route, but Louisiana has parishes instead. Sorta like four states really being commonwealths.


US 167 joins in downtown Lafayette, and yes, even here, I-49 will be coming right along this corridor.

Back east on US 90 to the Huey Long Bridge
Back east on Future I-49 to Business US 90/secret I-910
Onto old LA 182, old US 90 and Business 90 in Lafayette
Back to I-49 main page
Back to US 90 main page


Onto US 167
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