Driving Alexandria to NOLA, best route? (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: construction, university, live in)

[biscuitmom]

We'll be driving from N TX to NOLA Friday afternoon and prefer to skip the Baton Rouge traffic jam.

In the past we've taken either I-49 to I-10, or the 71-S route and always ended up stalled for what-seemed-like-hours in Baton Rouge. But that's been a couple of years and road conditions change.
We're considering skirting south and taking 90-E from Lafayette into New Orleans.

Can someone familiar with current traffic and road trends give advice on best route?

[annie_himself]

When will you pass through Baton Rouge? If it's not rush hour then there's no need to skip us.

[Speleothem]

Traffic or not, I imagine the Interstates are your best bet.

[Polarvortex1415]

I-49 to exit 19. Pick up highway 190 through Krotz Springs, Port Barre, Livonia (hint: not your Mama's Cafe is EXCELLENT food: a little pricy and takes a while, not fast food, but really good food and cake)... To Lobdell and then to Port Allen. Jump on 1-10 at the top of the Mississippi River Bridge. It's the way all the locals go.

Edited: don't get off 190 at Lobdell by veering to the right (though you could. You would pass Bergeron's meats, which has excellent food and to go items)...

Stay straight at the Lobdell veer and go over the overpass and it gets a little industrial and then take a right before the old bridge and go into port Allen to the miss. Bridge.

[Polarvortex1415]

90E from Lafayette is actually a nice drive, but it is going to take you 4 to 4.5 hours to get to Nola, which is longer than sitting in Baton Rouge traffic.

What you could do is stay on 190 which will go through Baton Rouge proper... Lots of red lights, but you may like that more.

Hopping on I-10 at the top of the bridge helps, but you still have to deal with bridge traffic and Baton Rouge.


I feel your pain. Baton Rouge requires loads of patience all the time.

[Polarvortex1415]

Oh!!! One more thing.... All of 190 is a speed trap (ESP. Port barre) so be very mindful of the changes in speed limits. Those small downs go down to 35 mph.

Edited again: the new lanes of I-10 in Baton Rouge have opened, so once you get to the I-10/I-12 split, it opens up to fast speeds again. (Generally speaking. We have noticed a HUGE difference).

[biscuitmom]

Thanks for the feedback!

Polarvortex, I ran the 190 thing thru DH, and he reminded me we took that route before, after cutting off 71S, and it didn't work for us. We could have lived with all the red lights if only we hadn't ended up right smack dab in the middle of the Friday afternoon I-10 traffic anyway. That was when the construction was at its heaviest, sounds like that's improved, good to know. Nonetheless we still shudder at all things related to I-10 between BR and NOLA, always have.

annie-himself, we've made this trip annually on the Friday before Thanksgiving for 10 years, have landed in Baton Rouge anywhere from 2:00 to 6:00 and stalled there every year. We live in the DFW area and are no strangers to interstates and congestion but that doesn't mean we give up on seeking alternatives! We skipped the NOLA trip last year, and are ready to try a new route. A friend who'll meet us there is leaving tomorrow from Houston, plans to take 90-E from Lafayette, and will report back to us.

In the meantime, I'll continue to monitor this thread and appreciate the information. We love southern LA, greatest folks (and food) in the world. There's good reason why so many folks are driving through there on Friday afternoon.

[Innotech]

Highway 90 doesnt take that long out of Lafayette. I used to drive it when it was a narrower smaller highway to NOLA and it maybe took 1 hour 45 mins.

[annie_himself]

In that case just take 90 and skip Baton Rouge. Taking 190 doesn't save any time since you're still going through Baton Rouge.

[Polarvortex1415]

To clarlfy: it's 4-4.5 hours from Alexandria to New Orleans, via highway 90. The last time I did this was June. (I just double checked it on iMaps and alexandria to New Orleans via highway 90 is 241 miles, 3 hours 55 minutes (not counting for stops obviously and traffic toward Boutte and from Kenner (airport area) to downtown). 4-4.5 hours is about right.

I have learned NEVER NEVER NEVER attempt to make it back from Nola to Alex on the Sunday after thanksgiving! The annual "southern vs. grambling" university matchup is the weekend after thanksgiving in New Orleans, and you'll have Grambling traffic the entire way back. It's like hurricane evacuation contraflow.

Edited: Friday afternoon on highway 90, all the refinery workers will be getting off and you will have that little rush hour traffic to deal with too.