Louisiana Highway 23

Louisiana Highway 23

Louisiana Highway 23 traverses the lower Mississippi River delta and coastal parishes, linking Port Eads, Grand Isle, Venice, Napoleonville, and communities in Plaquemines Parish, Jefferson Parish, and St. Bernard Parish. The route provides access to Mississippi River Delta, Port of New Orleans, U.S. Route 90, Interstate 10, and regional flood protection infrastructure managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. It serves commercial fishing fleets, energy industry logistics, and evacuation corridors used during Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Isaac, and other Gulf storms.

Route description

From the southern terminus at Port Eads near the Gulf of Mexico, the highway follows a levee align­ment adjacent to the Mississippi River and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, connecting barrier island communities such as Grand Isle and the refinery and shipping zones around Venice. The alignment parallels navigation channels used by vessels serving the Port Fourchon, Plaquemines Parish Seaport Harbor, and terminals that interface with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service managed coastal habitats. Moving north, the roadway passes industrial facilities tied to Entergy Corporation, Shell plc, ExxonMobil, and service corridors for pipelines operated by Kinder Morgan and Enbridge. Approaching Belle Chasse, the route crosses tidal marshes and connects with urbanized corridors feeding into Gretna, Marrero, and New Orleans via links with U.S. 90 and I-10. The northern segment serves residential and agricultural zones near Napoleonville and provides access to regional levee systems implemented after Hurricane Betsy and Hurricane Camille.

History

The corridor originated as a collection of parish roads and levee tops serving river pilots, fishermen, and oilfield workers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, contemporaneous with expansion of the Atchafalaya Basin shipping and the rise of companies like Standard Oil and Humphreys County Oil Company. During the New Deal era, investments by the Works Progress Administration and flood control projects by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers formalized segments into a continuous route. Post-World War II industrialization, including construction tied to World War II logistics and the postwar petrochemical boom led by firms such as American Can Company and ConocoPhillips, accelerated upgrades. The roadway was designated and numbered during a statewide renumbering overseen by the Louisiana Department of Highways; later administration by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development coordinated bridge replacements and elevation projects after catastrophic events like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Federal disaster assistance under programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency funded reconstruction of critical spans and evacuation capacity enhancements. Environmental regulations from the National Marine Fisheries Service and litigation involving Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) restoration projects influenced alignments and mitigation measures.

Major intersections

The highway connects with multiple federal and state routes and critical access points: intersections and junctions include ties to LA 1 near coastal communities, a connection facilitating access to Port Fourchon and the energy fields supplying offshore platforms regulated by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and interchanges with U.S. 90 providing east–west access toward New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Key crossings link with I-10 via feeder roads toward Slidell and Lafayette, and intersections that serve ferry terminals connecting to Grand Isle and marshland recreation proximate to Chandeleur Islands. Freight movements connect to terminals associated with the Port of South Louisiana and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, supporting cargo flows to facilities related to Bunge Limited and Archer Daniels Midland. The route interfaces with parish roads that feed industrial parks near Belle Chasse and Pointe à la Hache, and with evacuation routes used during Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Isaac.

Future and planned projects

Planned projects include elevation and hardening of low-lying segments to meet resilience goals set by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and funding proposals involving the La. DOTD and federal partners like the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. Proposals to replace aging movable bridges reference design standards promulgated after studies by the National Transportation Safety Board and resilience guidance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Coastal restoration initiatives coordinated with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Environmental Protection Agency aim to integrate marsh creation and sediment diversions tied to Mississippi River delta restoration which affect right-of-way decisions. Economic development plans with regional stakeholders including Greater New Orleans, Inc. and parish governments seek to optimize freight access to energy terminals and improve evacuation capacity noted in reports by American Traffic Safety Services Association and the Transportation Research Board.

Auxiliary routes and connections

Auxiliary links include county-equivalent parish roads, spurs to harbor facilities, and connectors to state routes such as LA 46, LA 39, and spur routes serving Grand Isle State Park and industrial terminals at Venice. Short connectors provide access to navigation aids serving the Mississippi River pilot stations, to marinas supporting companies like Gulf Coast Fishing associations, and to pipeline service yards affiliated with Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company. Rail connections via the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and intermodal interfaces at the Port of New Orleans link the corridor into national freight networks overseen by Surface Transportation Board policies.

Category:State highways in Louisiana