Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
	; Louisiana DOTD Headquarters in 2016
Agency overview
Preceding agencies	Louisiana Department of Highways; Louisiana Department of Public Works;
Jurisdiction	Louisiana
Headquarters	1201 Capitol Access Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Agency executive	Joe Donahue, Secretary;
Website	dotd.la.gov

Last updated January 11, 2025

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD)^[1] is a state government organization in the United States, in charge of maintaining public transportation, roadways, bridges, canals, select levees, floodplain management, port facilities, commercial vehicles, and aviation which includes 69 airports, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The agency has approximately five thousand personnel on staff and an operating budget of $2.3 billion. DOTD operations are run through nine district offices across the state.

The current DOTD Secretary is Joe Donahue, appointed in January 2024 by Governor Jeff Landry. Other functions of the DOTD are Dams (Dam Safety Program), flood control (Floodplain Management, water resource management (wells), and maintaining state-run ferries and moveable bridge status.^[2] The Louisiana Transportation Authority (LTA) is also under the DOTD,^[3] as well as the DOTD port construction and development.

History

The new Louisiana Constitution of 1976 (adopted in 1974) and Act 83 of 1977 abolished the Departments of Highways and Public Works and restructured them into the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), thereby encompassing related activities such as highways, public works, aviation, public transportation, and a number of transportation authorities, committees, boards, and commissions. This form of organization continued until 1988 when Act 488 placed all agency functions under one of three offices: the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Engineering, and the Office of Management and Finance.

Act 71 of 1998 reorganized DOTD into its present functional arrangement of the Office of the Secretary and five other offices.

DOTD district offices

The DOTD has 9 district offices across the state.^[4]^[5] Each office is run by a district engineer administrator.

District	Area (Parishes)	Headquarters
02	Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, Terrebonne	Bridge City
03	Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Vermillion	Lafayette
04	Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, De Soto, Red River, Webster	Bossier City
05	East Carroll, Jackson, Lincoln, Morehouse, Madison, Ouachita, Richland, West Carroll, Union	Monroe
07	Allen, Beauregard, Cameron, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis	Lake Charles
08	Avoyelles, Grant, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine, Vernon, Winn	Alexandria
58	Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, La Salle, Tensas	Winnsboro
61	Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, St. James, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana	Baton Rouge
62	Livingston, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington	Hammond

Public transportation

The DOTD is in charge of Public Transportation and provides funding to participating parishes through federal transit grant programs.

Roadways

DOTD has the responsibility of maintaining state highways and interstate highways under state jurisdiction. This includes the maintenance and updating of existing highways as well as planning, design, and building of new highways. DOTD is also in charge of the bridge management system for planning and design, planning, building, inspection, maintenance, and even replacement of bridges in Louisiana.

The Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development or TIMED Program is an ongoing $5 billion program, including funding to widen over 500 miles (800 km) of Louisiana state highways from two lanes to four. "TIMED" is also over construction or modifying several bridges including the John James Audubon Bridge, Huey P. Long Bridge and Florida Avenue Bridge.

DOTD operates traffic cameras in eight cities along Interstate 10 and Interstate 12 as intelligent transportation systems (ITS).^[6]

Hurricane evacuation

The DOTD has been active in addressing the increased awareness for effective evacuation plans in the event of hurricanes threatening southeast Louisiana, and the Greater New Orleans area in particular. Following lessons learned during Hurricane Georges in 1998 DOTD has constructed contraflow lanes,^[7]^[8]^[9] crossover lanes, and made agreements with Mississippi officials to implement the contraflow plan in the event of future hurricane threats. This is a plan where all the traffic is directed in the same direction and marked with appropriate signs and signals. These plans were tested and modified following Hurricane Ivan in 2004 as residents of the New Orleans area spent upwards of 18 hours in traffic. These changes included the strategic distribution of traffic control devices, improved coordination of police personnel, and wide distribution of information and maps to the public depicting the state's phased evacuation plan and the various contraflow routes. These changes were tested and successful in August 2005 when New Orleans and the surrounding parishes were placed under a mandatory evacuation in advance of Hurricane Katrina.^[10]

Roadside vegetation

The DOTD has a department for roadside vegetation granted by Act No. 682 of the Regular Session of the State Legislature of 1989. There is a DOTD Chief Architect and a DOTD Chief Engineer and each district has a district roadside development coordinator. Mowing of interstate and Louisiana highways are under the jurisdiction of Roadside Development and all road construction and improvements are subject to inspection and approval.

The department adopted a manual that sets guidelines and rules for landscaping, wildflowers, mowing, and spraying herbicides and pesticides. The state has an aggressive stance on the preservation and planting of wildflowers. The guidelines state that mowing should be a minimum of three times a year on interstate highways and biannually on state highways. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the Louisiana Department of Agriculture to enforce compliance of applicators of herbicides or pesticides with training provided by the Louisiana Extension program. The District Roadside Development Coordinator must be licensed by the state and be proficient in all aspects of pesticides and herbicides.

Ports and port facilities

The DOTD is the authority over ports and port facilities in Louisiana.

Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) – the largest deepwater port in the United States,^[11] allowing oil supertankers to offload their cargo. Located 18 miles (29 km) offshore of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, 10% of imported crude oil is offloaded at LOOP.^[12]
Some projects funded by TIMED are already complete, including projects that made improvements at the Port of New Orleans

Canals, levees, and dams

DOTD operates and maintains the dam, water control structures, gates, spillway, and related appurtenances on 20 state-constructed reservoirs and is required to inspect all dams to ensure conformity with established standards and regulations.^[13] The department works closely with the United States Army Corps of Engineers.^[14]

Floodplain Management

DOTD is the State Agency for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The state works in conjunction with FEMA on a 25%/75% ratio.

Aviation

The DOTD is responsible for monitoring 62 airports in the state. A completed TIMED project of the DOTD is the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Commercial vehicles

All commercial vehicles in the State of Louisiana are governed by the Dept of Public Safety.

Weights and standards

The DOTD division of "Weights and Standards" is the office responsible for vehicle oversize permits on Louisiana highways. DOTD considers there are twelve stationary scale house locations in the state but for most "Point of entry" (POE) locations and divided highways there is a scale house on each side of the road.^[15] When the scalehouse is open all trucks not equipped with "Prepass" or "Drivewyze" must enter the scale house if directed. Exceptions are scales that have weigh in motion scales. Dept of Public Safety enforcement officers (DPS) have portable scales and can weigh a vehicle anywhere it is safe.

Facilities

Louisiana Transportation Research Center – a joint operation with Louisiana State University to provide research and education for transportation issues.^[16]

PERBA

The DOTD also maintains the Permits Electronic Routing Bridge Analysis (PERBA) that includes a "Trouble Board" of restricted roads throughout the state.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 12</span> Interstate Highway in Louisiana

Interstate 12 (I-12) is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Louisiana. It spans a total of 85.59 miles (137.74 km) in an east–west direction from I-10 in Baton Rouge to an interchange with both I-10 and I-59 in Slidell. Along the way, it passes through the city of Hammond, where it intersects I-55 and US Route 51 (US 51). It also serves the cities of Ponchatoula and Denham Springs, as well as the St. Tammany Parish cities of Covington and Mandeville.

U.S. Highway 171 (US 171) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System and the only route within that system currently located entirely within the state of Louisiana. It spans 177.44 miles (285.56 km) in a north–south direction from the junction of US 90 and Louisiana Highway 14 (LA 14) in Lake Charles to the junction of US 79/US 80 and LA 3094 in Shreveport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 110 (Louisiana)</span> Highway in Louisiana

Interstate 110 (I-110) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It runs 9.06 miles (14.58 km) in a north–south direction as a spur of I-10 in the city of Baton Rouge.

Contraflow lane reversal is the altering of the normal flow of traffic, typically on a controlled-access highway, to either aid in an emergency evacuation or, as part of routine maintenance activities, to facilitate widening or reconstruction of one of the highway's carriageways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 610 (Louisiana)</span> Highway in Louisiana

Interstate 610 (I-610) is a 4.52-mile-long (7.27 km) auxiliary route of I-10 that lies almost entirely within the city limits of New Orleans, Louisiana, bypassing its Central Business District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 10 in Louisiana</span> Highway in Louisiana

Interstate 10 (I-10), a major transcontinental Interstate Highway in the Southern United States, runs across the southern part of Louisiana for 274.42 miles (441.64 km) from Texas to Mississippi. It passes through Lake Charles, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge, dips south of Lake Pontchartrain to serve the New Orleans metropolitan area, then crosses Lake Pontchartrain and leaves the state.

Louisiana Highway 23 is a north–south state highway in Louisiana that serves Plaquemines and Jefferson Parishes. It spans 74.0 miles (119.1 km) in roughly a southeast to northwest direction. It is known locally as Belle Chasse Highway and Lafayette Street.

Louisiana Highway 47 (LA 47) is a state highway located in southeastern Louisiana. It runs 15.91 miles (25.60 km) in a general southeast to northwest direction from the Mississippi River levee in Chalmette to the intersection of Hayne Boulevard and Downman Road in New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 55 in Louisiana</span> Highway in Louisiana

Interstate 55 (I-55) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that spans 964.25 miles (1,551.81 km) from LaPlace, Louisiana, to Chicago, Illinois. Within the state of Louisiana, the highway travels 66 miles (106 km) from the national southern terminus at I-10 in LaPlace to the Mississippi state line north of Kentwood.

Louisiana Highway 76 (LA 76) is a state highway located in southeastern Louisiana. It runs 25.52 miles (41.07 km) in a general east–west direction from LA 77 in Maringouin to the junction of LA 1 and LA 987-4 in Port Allen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 49 in Louisiana</span> Highway in Louisiana

Interstate 49 (I-49) is an Interstate Highway that currently spans 244.021 miles (392.714 km) in a north–south direction in the US state of Louisiana. Currently, I-49 runs from I-10 in Lafayette to the Arkansas state line. I-49 greatly parallels the older US Highway 71 (US 71) corridor, and connects the state's two east–west Interstates at two of its metropolitan centers. Along the way, it serves the cities of Opelousas, Alexandria, and Natchitoches, intersecting several cross-state highways, such as I-20, US 190, US 167, US 165, and US 84.

U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that spans 1,645 miles (2,647 km) from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Rouses Point, New York. Within the state of Louisiana, the highway travels 31 miles (50 km) from the national southern terminus at US 90 in New Orleans to the Mississippi state line south of Picayune.

U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that spans 1,277 miles (2,055 km) from LaPlace, Louisiana to a point north of Hurley, Wisconsin. Within the state of Louisiana, the highway travels 69.12 miles (111.24 km) from the national southern terminus at US 61 in LaPlace to the Mississippi state line north of Kentwood.

Louisiana Highway 64 (LA 64) is a state highway located in southeastern Louisiana. It runs 20.45 miles (32.91 km) in a general east–west direction from LA 964 in Zachary to the junction of LA 16 and LA 1026 north of Denham Springs.

Louisiana Highway 72 (LA 72) is a state highway located in Bossier City, Louisiana. It runs 2.49 miles (4.01 km) in an east–west direction from the intersection of Barksdale Boulevard and Hamilton Road to a junction with the concurrent U.S. Highways 79 and 80.

Louisiana Highway 87 (LA 87) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs 42.04 miles (67.66 km) in a northwest to southeast direction from LA 86 in New Iberia to the junction of two local roads north of Centerville.

Louisiana Highway 93 (LA 93) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs 23.427 miles (37.702 km) in a southwest to northeast direction from US 90 in Scott to LA 31 in Arnaudville.

Louisiana Highway 98 (LA 98) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs 47.76 miles (76.86 km) in an east–west direction from the junction of LA 97 and LA 1123 west of Iota to the Lafayette–St. Martin parish line east of Carencro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 59 in Louisiana</span> Interstate Highway in Louisiana, United States

Interstate 59 (I-59) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 445.23 miles (716.53 km) from Slidell, Louisiana, to just outside of Wildwood, Georgia. In the U.S. state of Louisiana, I-59 extends 11.48 miles (18.48 km) from its national southern terminus at I-10 and I-12 in Slidell to the Mississippi state line north of the town of Pearl River. This segment of I-59 is the shortest of the four states which it passes through.

References

↑ "About DOTD". www.dotd.la.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
↑ "Pages - Ferries, Mov. Bridges, Tolls". wwwsp.dotd.la.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
↑ "Louisiana Transportation Authority". wwwsp.dotd.la.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
↑ "DOTD Districts" (PDF) (Map). Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
↑ "State, District & Parish Maps". wwwsp.dotd.la.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
↑ "About ITS". wwwsp.dotd.la.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
↑ http://www.contraflowmaps.com/ contraflow maps-
↑ "New Orleans Contraflow". Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010. -contraflow plan
↑ http://www.dotd.louisiana.gov/maps/ -contraflow instructions
↑ -South Louisiana evacuation route
↑ -DOTD on LOOP
↑ -NOLA on LOOP
↑ – Dams
↑ -Army Corps of Engineers
↑ -weigh station locations
↑ ":: Louisiana Transportation Research Center ::". Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010. – Louisiana Transportation Research Center Official Site

External links

Official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "About DOTD". www.dotd.la.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2022.

[2] "Pages - Ferries, Mov. Bridges, Tolls". wwwsp.dotd.la.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2022.

[3] "Louisiana Transportation Authority". wwwsp.dotd.la.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2022.

[district-4] "DOTD Districts" (PDF) (Map). Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

[5] "State, District & Parish Maps". wwwsp.dotd.la.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2022.

[6] "About ITS". wwwsp.dotd.la.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2022.

[7] ttp://www.contraflowmaps.com/ contraflow maps-

[8] "New Orleans Contraflow". Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010. -contraflow plan

[9] ttp://www.dotd.louisiana.gov/maps/ -contraflow instructions

[10] -South Louisiana evacuation route

[11] -DOTD on LOOP

[12] -NOLA on LOOP

[13] – Dams

[14] -Army Corps of Engineers

[15] -weigh station locations

[16] ":: Louisiana Transportation Research Center ::". Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010. – Louisiana Transportation Research Center Official Site

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v t e Louisiana Highway System
Highway systems	Interstate U.S. State 1–99 100–149 150–199 300–349 350–399 400–449 450–499 500–549 550–599 600–649 650–699 700–749 750–799 800–849 850–899 900–949 950–999 1000–1049 1050–1099 1100–1149 1150–1199 1200–1299 3000–3049 3050–3099 3100–3149 3150–3199 3200–3249 3250–3299 Pre-1955 state highways 1–50 51–100 Parish Scenic
Highway agency	Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD)