DOTD celebrates completion of evacuation corridor

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) recently celebrated the completion of the newly four-laned U.S. 165 evacuation corridor from Interstate 10 in Iowa, La., to Alexandria, La.

“The extra lanes, along with the widening of I-10 in Lake Charles and U.S. 171, gives the people of southwest Louisiana more options for emergency evacuation,” said DOTD Secretary William D. Ankner.

DOTD celebrated the completion of the project with a ceremony hosted by DOTD Secretary William D. Ankner.

Other speakers included State Representative Dorothy Sue Hill, Assistant Deputy Director of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Pat Santos and Louisiana State Police Major Joel “Young” Kilpatrick.

In addition to being an important evacuation corridor, U.S. 165 provides a direct link to other major highways like Interstate 49, U.S. 71 and U.S.167 in Alexandria, and will ultimately connect to Interstate 20 in Ruston and Monroe.

Work on the $387 million project included widening a 78-mi segment of U.S. 165 from I-10 in Iowa to Alexandria from two to four lanes. The contractors for the project were Diamond B. Construction Co., Gilchrist Construction Company and J.B. James Construction Co.

The 173-mi project to widen the entire U.S. 165 corridor to the Arkansas border is slated for completion by the middle of 2010. There are 28.5 remaining miles of highway still under construction.

These four Louisiana highway segments are located from Georgetown to Tullos, Grayson to Columbia, Bastrop to Log Cabin and Log Cabin to the Arkansas state line.

The project to widen U.S. 165 is part of the TIMED Program, the single largest transportation program in state history.

More than $700 million in GO Zone bonds remain

The Industrial Development Board of New Orleans, a self-supporting non-profit public corporation created to promote economic development, recently announced that more than $700 million in Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) bonds remains untapped.

President Walter C. Flower III, said, “Many projects that may have initially looked good on paper unfortunately have not proceeded with GO Zone financing because the project itself has turned out to not be financially feasible, even with the GO Zone subsidy.

“Other worthy projects have been delayed due to the turmoil in credit markets generally, or the developers have chosen to take advantage of other programs.

“We do not wish for New Orleans to have this $700 million allocation returned to a general pool,” he added.

Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the IDB has authorized the issuance of nearly $25 million in bonds to finance new retail and commercial developments in New Orleans.

H&E Equipment Services appointed New Holland Ag dealer in Alexandria, La.

H&E Equipment Services Inc. has been appointed as the new authorized New Holland Ag Dealer in Alexandria, La., and the surrounding area.

New Holland has one of the widest agricultural equipment ranges in the world, serving the needs of all markets and customers.

It has a manufacturing network that spans the world with more than 3,000 dealers, such as H&E Equipment Services, to provide customers purchasing advice, products, parts and service to help ensure the success of their farming business.

As a full-service agricultural equipment dealer for New Holland in Alexandria, H&E will provide new and used sales, rentals, service, parts and warranty service.

H&E Equipment Services is one of the largest integrated equipment services companies in the U. S.

H&E has 63 full-service facilities throughout the Gulf Coast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, West Coast, Intermountain and Southwest regions of the U. S.

DOTD opens new Ouachita River Bridge in Sterlington, La.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the LA 2 Ouachita River Bridge in Sterlington, La.

The new high-rise bridge replaced a 75-year-old movable bridge.

With the new bridge open, vehicular traffic crossing the bridge will no longer have to stop for marine traffic. Approximately 5,500 vehicles drive across the bridge each day.

DOTD Deputy Secretary Sherri LeBas, who spoke at the ceremony, said, “I know how important the Ouachita River Bridge is to the area and I believe the new bridge will provide an economic boost for the local communities.

“But more importantly, the new bridge will provide a safer drive for those crossing between Union and Ouachita parishes.”

While the old bridge had no shoulders and 10-ft lanes, the new bridge will boast 10-ft shoulders and 12-ft lanes.

Large trucks will have fewer problems crossing this bridge because of the expanded width, LeBas added.

John Kelly, DOTD’s District 05 administrator, served as master of ceremonies for the event, which took place just east of the new bridge. DOTD Deputy Secretary Sherri LeBas, state senators Robert Kostelka and Mike Walsworth, and state representatives Hollis Downs, Kay Katz and Sam Little were in attendance.

Sterlington Mayor Vern Breland and Sterlington Chamber Volunteer President Jeremy Harrell also spoke at the ceremony. Brother Tracy Boyd of Sterlington Holiness Tabernacle provided the invocation.

Construction on the project began in March 2006.

Jensen Construction Co. was the contractor for the $37.2 million project and the DOTD project engineer was Matt Jones.

HMS Architects receives IIDA Award of Excellence

HMS Architects of New Orleans was recently presented with an Award of Excellence by the Delta Regional Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

The award was presented for its work in the interior design of the Shaver Theater at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La.

IIDA’s Annual Interior Design Competition recognizes outstanding interior design and encourages new ideas and techniques in the design and furnishing of interior spaces.

The Shaver Theater is located in the Music and Dramatic Arts Building on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, La. This large Italian Renaissance building is recognized in the State Register of Historic Places.

Previously, the Shaver Theater consisted of a conglomoration of prior additions and renovations.

HMS Architects restored the theater’s visual balance and enhanced the distinctive art deco element of the original 400-seat theater and main lobby.

Menard announces opening of Gulf Coast office

Effective in May, DGI-Menard, Inc. opened a new office in Metairie, La. The office address is 3501 N. Causeway Blvd., Suite 300.

Marty Taube, director of business development for Menard, said a large portion of the company’s ground improvement projects are based in the Gulf Coast region.

“Our techniques, including Controlled Modulus Columns (CMCs) and wick drains are very well suited for the soft ground that is present throughout the region,” says Taube. “It was a logical next step for us to open a local office to better serve our clients.”

DGI-Menard is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., and offers a full range of ground improvement services. DGI-Menard is the U.S. branch of Menard, an international specialty ground improvement contractor.