Louisiana Highway 10
Encyclopedia
Louisiana Highway 10 is a state highway
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 in south-central Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

. It runs from west to east for 250.03 miles (402.4 km). The western terminus is at the intersection of U.S. Route 171
U.S. Route 171
U.S. Highway 171 is a north–south United States highway. This short-route 179-mile highway, entirely within western Louisiana, has remained largely unchanged from its original 1926 route....

 in Pickering, Louisiana in Vernon Parish near Fort Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....

 and the eastern terminus is in Bogalusa at Pearl River
Pearl River (Mississippi-Louisiana)
The Pearl River is a river in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Louisiana. It forms in Neshoba County, Mississippi from the confluence of Nanih Waiya and Tallahaga creeks. It is long. The Yockanookany and Strong rivers are tributaries. Northeast of Jackson, the Ross Barnett Reservoir is formed by...

 and the Louisiana line. LA 10 is a predominantly rural road traversing west to east all but the western 30 miles (48.3 km) of the Central Louisiana
Central Louisiana
Central Louisiana , also known as the Crossroads region, is the part of Louisiana that includes the following parishes: Allen Parish, Beauregard Parish, Catahoula Parish, Concordia Parish, Grant Parish, La Salle Parish, Natchitoches Parish, Rapides Parish, Sabine Parish and Vernon Parish.The five...

, north central Acadiana
Acadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...

, and Florida Parishes
Florida Parishes
The Florida Parishes , also known as the North Shore region, are eight parishes in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana, which were part of West Florida in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Unlike much of Louisiana, this region was not part of the Louisiana Purchase, as it had been...

 portion of the state.

Once a major route across Louisiana LA 10 was forced, by political progression as well as nature, to lose prominence in the 20th century. As population areas grew in the north and south the east-west highway traffic was diverted to those areas, rail was the standard form of modern transportation, and LA 10 was by-passed as a major route.

History

Highway numbers in Louisiana first appeared in 1921, per Act 21 of the 1921 Special Session of the Louisiana Legislature. Routes 1 through 98 were defined that year. These first 98 routes remained consistent throughout the pre-1955 period. The lowest numbered routes seem to have followed major auto trails. The numbers of many highways were changed during the 1955 Legislative session but this did not affect the original 98 roads. With Burr Ferry
Burr Ferry, Louisiana
Burr Ferry is a community at the junction of LA 8 and LA 111 south, in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. This is only a couple of miles from the site of the old Burr’s Ferry on the Sabine River, at the Texas line...

, in Vernon Parish at the Texas line, La 10 was a major east/west transportation route through central Louisiana long before 1921. By 1928 a plan by then Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 Huey P. Long to pave many roads only included a section of LA 10 from the Mississippi River through Clinton
Clinton, Louisiana
Clinton is a town in and the parish seat of East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town was named for New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. The population was 1,998 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 but not the western part and the reason in not known except portions of LA 10 are not complete and one reason is supported in history. This section of LA 10 runs through the "West Atchafalaya River drainage area", known as the Atchafalaya Basin
Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp, is the largest swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. The river stretches from near Simmesport in the north...

 and the Morganza Spillway
Morganza Spillway
The Morganza Spillway or Morganza Control Structure is a flood-control structure in the U.S. state of Louisiana along the western bank of the Mississippi River at river mile 280, near Morganza in Pointe Coupee Parish. The spillway stands between the Mississippi and the Morganza Floodway, which...

 drainage area, that is part of the Lower Mississippi River
Lower Mississippi River
The Lower Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River downstream of Cairo, Illinois. From the confluence of the Ohio River and Upper Mississippi River at Cairo, the Lower flows just under 1600 kilometers to the Gulf of Mexico...

's, Mississippi River drainage area
Mississippi River Delta
The Mississippi River Delta is the modern area of land built up by alluvium deposited by the Mississippi River as it slows down and enters the Gulf of Mexico...

. This area has been subjected to several Great floods that severely affected south central Louisiana. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States.-Events:The flood began when heavy rains pounded the central basin of the Mississippi in the summer of 1926. By September, the Mississippi's tributaries in Kansas and Iowa were swollen to...

 decimated many parts of Louisiana, including roads, as the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers flooded an area up to 60 miles wide and up to 30 feet deep. After the flood a major push was on to rebuild levees and find a way to help the 700,000 homeless. General highway construction and repair was not as high on the priority list as the more major highways, and LA 10, a non-elevated highway through this section, has never seemed to be as important as it had once been.
  • By 2004 many bridges on LA 10 were still wooden pylon type that had been paved over. All were in bad shape and none would actually pass any type of serious inspection. A bridge rebuilding was undertaken and many were replaced on the western part of the highway. All bridges between Fort Polk and Oakdale were replaced and the project was completed in 2008.

Route description

Due to the inconsistency of a complete clear routing of LA 10 the route is broken into three sections.

Travel warning

LA 10 can not be easily traveled the entire length. Although it is a scenic by-way, there are areas where the road is not clearly marked, has sections that are graveled, and due to unclear markings appear to disappear in areas. Maps show LA 10 into Melville
Melville, Louisiana
Melville is a town in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,376 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Opelousas–Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Melville is located at ....

 and then intersecting and running concurrent with LA 77
Louisiana Highway 77
-Route description:Louisiana Highway 77, or LA 77, travels southward from LA 10 near the old Melville Ferry roadway in Pointe Coupee Parish through Fordoche and Livonia. In Iberville Parish, it is the primary route from Plaquemine to the northern communities of Maringouin, Rosedale, and Grosse Tete...

, several miles east, with no connection in between.

Western route

Beginning at the western terminus, a junction with U.S. Route 171, as a two lane undivided road, the highway passes through a part of Fort Polk beginning in the community of Sandy Hill, at a junction of LA 467. A short distance past the commercial truck entrance of gate-4, where the road turns sharply south, a scenic road begins that passes through pine forests that were once clear cut during the lumber boom that ended in the mid-1930s. There is a roadside marker commemorating the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...

 (CCC) in replanting depleted forests in the area.

Leaving Fort Polk travelers are greeted by the Kisatchie National Forest
Kisatchie National Forest
Kisatchie National Forest, the only National forest in Louisiana, USA, is located in the state's old growth piney hills and hardwood bottoms of seven central and northern parishes. It totals more than of public lands....

's Vernon Ranger District sign in the community of Johnsonville. From this point to a junction with Parish road 750 (Bailey road), where the road curves sharply back east, there are several marked nesting areas of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is a woodpecker found in southeastern North America.- Description :About the size of the Northern Cardinal, it is approximately 8.5 in. long, with a wingspan of about 14 in. and a weight of about 1.5 ounces...

 that can be seen from the road. Continuing through rural Vernon Parish LA 10 passes through the community of Marlow and Cravens intersecting with LA 399 called the Fullerton
Fullerton, Louisiana
Fullerton is an unincorporated community in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. Fullerton was once an industrial community based around a large lumber mill...

 road. The community of Fullerton
Fullerton, Louisiana
Fullerton is an unincorporated community in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. Fullerton was once an industrial community based around a large lumber mill...

 that includes the old mill site and Fullerton Park (and pond), was placed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Louisiana. The area from Fort Polk to east of Cravens was the site of a major campaign of the Louisiana Maneuvers
Louisiana Maneuvers
The Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of military exercises held all over north and west-central Louisiana, including Fort Polk, Camp Claiborne and Camp Livingston, in August and September 1941...

.

In Pitkin, La 10 intersects and runs east a few miles with LA 113
Louisiana Highway 113
Louisiana Highway 113 is a state highway in Louisiana. It spans and runs from South to north. LA 113 is a mostly rural two lane highway with a maximum speed limit of per hour and a minimum of as slow as per hour in some sharp curves. The southern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. 190 in...

. LA 113 splits off north towards Glenmora
Glenmora, Louisiana
Glenmora is a town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,558 at the 2000 census....

 and U.S. Route 165, that runs north to Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....

. LA 10 continues eastward, passing through the old sawmill community of Dido, enters northern Allen Parish, and passes through Elizabeth
Elizabeth, Louisiana
Elizabeth is a town in Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 574 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elizabeth is located at ....

. Elizebeth is the site of the Elizebeth Hospital Building listed on the NRHP. In Elizebeth LA 10 intersects and runs briefly concurrent with LA 112
Louisiana Highway 112
Louisiana Highway 112 is a state highway in Louisiana. It spans and runs from west to east. LA 112 is a mostly rural two lane highway with a maximum speed limit of per hour. The western terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 171/U.S. Route 190 in Beauregard Parish and the eastern...

 for about a mile and LA 112 turns north while La 10 continues east. The north east section of the West Bay Wildlife Management Area, a 56,000 acre privately owned area managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is a state agency of Louisiana that maintains state parks and wildlife and fishery areas. The agency has its headquarters in Baton Rouge.-External links:*...

, boarders and crosses LA 10 in sections from Elizebeth to just west of Oakdale. A part of the highway in Oakdale is named for the late mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of that city, George B. Mowad
George B. Mowad
George B. Mowad was a physician and real estate developer who served from 1972 to 1992 as the mayor of Oakdale in Allen Parish, Louisiana.-Background:...

, a physician and real estate developer.

In Oakdale, LA 10 intersects U.S. Route 165 and continues eastward entering Evangeline Parish. LA 10 passes through the community of Beaver where it intersects with LA 106 which actually heads east as La 10 turns southeast then east again. Just north of Reddell and Barber Spur, 5 miles north of Mamou, Louisiana
Mamou, Louisiana
Mamou is a town in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,566 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mamou is located at ....

, LA 10 intersects with LA 13 and continues east passing through the community of Vidrine. LA 10 intersects first with north LA 103 then south LA 103, just west of Ville Platte, merges with U.S. Route 167, runs through the center of town intersecting with LA 29, and a few miles east of town enters St Landry Parish. The section of LA 10 west of US 167 is called the Oakdale Road and east of US 167 is called the Opelousas Road. LA 10 splits with U.S. 167 just west of Interstate 49 turning north and merging with north LA 182 through Nuba into Washington
Washington, Louisiana
Washington is a small town in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,082 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Opelousas–Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area....

 where it intersects with LA 103 again. Through town LA 10 is called S. Main Street.
  • It is at this point that a defined highway begins to be somewhat obscure. Travelers from I-49 wishing to travel west on LA 10 should use exit 23 (U.S. 167) towards Ville Platte as a more direct route.

Central route

LA 10/LA182 continues though Washington, intersects and runs parallel with I-49 a short ways, splits just south and west of Beggs, continuing east and north through St. Landry Parish. LA 10 also intersects U.S. Route 71
U.S. Route 71
U.S. Route 71 is a north–south United States highway. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstate highways. Currently, the highway's northern terminus is in International Falls, Minnesota at the Canadian border, at the southern end of the Fort...

, a few miles west of Palmetto near Lebeau
Lebeau, Louisiana
Lebeau is a small unincorporated community in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States, in the central part of the state. Nearby communities include Palmetto, Ville Platte and Washington. The community is part of the Opelousas–Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area.Lebeau is the birthplace...

, running concurrent and south a short ways before splitting and continuing eastward. From this point LA 10 begins the journey across the Lower Mississippi drainage area administered under authority of the Mississippi River Commission known as the Atchafalaya Basin.
At Melville LA 10 intersects and runs briefly concurrent with LA 105
Louisiana Highway 105
Louisiana Highway 105 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Avoyelles Parish and Saint Landry Parish. It spans north/south for...

 north through town. LA 105 is known as Levee road then crosses the Atchafalaya River
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River....

 into Pointe Coupee Parish, via the Melville Ferry operated by the LaDOTD
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is a state government organization 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....

, and into the Morganza Spillway drainage area.
  • At this point a defined road that becomes obscure all but gets lost.


After crossing the river LA 10 intersects with La 973. At this intersection an La-10 spur continues east while LA 10 merges north with La 417. A short distance and LA 417 begins as a 4-lane highway and LA 10 turns east again and is also called Laio Road. Another short distance east by southeast and LA 10 (Laio rd.) and La-10 spur join continuing east. East of levee road (and protected by the levee) LA 10 intersects, and runs concurrent with, north LA 77
Louisiana Highway 77
-Route description:Louisiana Highway 77, or LA 77, travels southward from LA 10 near the old Melville Ferry roadway in Pointe Coupee Parish through Fordoche and Livonia. In Iberville Parish, it is the primary route from Plaquemine to the northern communities of Maringouin, Rosedale, and Grosse Tete...

. LA 10 begins to run north and east parallel with Levee Rd. LA 10 merges with LA 1 south in Morganza, also the western terminus of LA 77, and jointly runs through New Roads before splitting in the city limits.

Eastern route

LA 10 then crosses the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 via the John James Audubon Bridge
John James Audubon Bridge (Mississippi River)
The John James Audubon Bridge is a new Mississippi River crossing between Pointe Coupee and West Feliciana parishes in south central Louisiana. The bridge is the longest cable-stayed span in the Western Hemisphere and replaces the ferry between the communities of New Roads and St. Francisville...

) and enters into West Feliciana Parish where it heads due north into St. Francisville and intersects and runs concurrent a short distance with LA 3057 (named Jackson street through town) then intersects US 61 north of town. There is a little known ferry that services Angola
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...

, called Angola Ferry
Angola Ferry
The Angola Ferry is a small and little-known ferry service that crosses the Mississippi River connecting Lettsworth, Louisiana with the Louisiana State Penitentiary, otherwise known as the Angola Prison. It is considered difficult to access, requiring drivers to branch off the Louisiana Highway...

, that is accessed from LA 3190 (east of Letsville) off LA 418 (primarily used by employee's) but most traffic to Angola from the south uses the bridge.

LA 10 passes through the community of Elm Park, intersects with LA 965 (to the south), LA 421 (to the north), enters East Feliciana Parish and travels through Jackson
Jackson, Louisiana
Jackson is a town in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,130 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

. LA 10 runs concurrent briefly with LA 951, intersects LA 19
Louisiana Highway 19
Louisiana Highway 19 is a state highway in Louisiana which serves the parishes of East Baton Rouge and East Feliciana. It spans , beginning in Baton Rouge and ending at the Louisiana/Mississippi state line.-Route description:...

, then LA 963, and runs through Clinton. In Clinton LA 10 intersects LA 67. West of Darlington LA 10 enters St. Helena Parish and intersects with LA 38 (in Coleman Town), and with LA 448, before passing through Darlington. LA 10 continues to run east through Greensburg where it intersects with LA 43. Also in Greensburg, Louisiana|Greensburg]] is an LA 10 Spur, which connects LA 10 with LA 43. Continuing east LA 10 enters Tangipahoa Parish then intersects Interstate 55. After crossing I-55 LA 10 also shortly merges with U.S. Route 51
U.S. Route 51
U.S. Route 51 is a north–south United States highway that runs for 1,286 miles from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana to within of the Wisconsin-Michigan border. Much of the highway in Illinois and southern Wisconsin runs parallel to or overlaps Interstate 39...

 and turns due south, though the highways split just north of Roseland
Roseland, Louisiana
Roseland is a town in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,162 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace of Cajun chef and storyteller Justin Wilson.Roseland is part of the Hammond Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 and LA 10 turns east again. LA 10 intersects and runs concurrent briefly with LA 1054 and continues through Wilmer, Louisiana. LA 10 enters Washington Parish and intersects LA 450 then passes through Stoney Point, Louisiana. Continuing east LA 10 intersects with LA 440 then intersects with and runs briefly concurrent with LA 16/25. LA 10 splits with these highways and continues through Franklinton also passing through the community of Sheridan. LA 10 continues through Bogalusa where it intersects with LA 21
Louisiana Highway 21
Louisiana Highway 21 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves St. Tammany and Washington Parishes. It spans and is bannered north/south.-Route description:...

 before becoming Mississippi Highway 26, at Pearl River
Pearl River (Mississippi-Louisiana)
The Pearl River is a river in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Louisiana. It forms in Neshoba County, Mississippi from the confluence of Nanih Waiya and Tallahaga creeks. It is long. The Yockanookany and Strong rivers are tributaries. Northeast of Jackson, the Ross Barnett Reservoir is formed by...

, on the Louisiana/Mississippi state line and the eastern terminus.
  • Between Morganza, Louisiana, and the Mississippi state line east of Bogalusa, Louisiana, LA 10 forms part of the Zachary Taylor Parkway.

Law enforcement

As a Louisiana highway the primary police agency is the Louisiana State Police
Louisiana State Police
The Louisiana State Police is the state police department of Louisiana, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state, headquartered in Baton Rouge. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Louisiana. It falls under the authority of the Louisiana...

. Outside cities and towns the Sheriff's department
Sheriffs in the United States
In the United States, a sheriff is a county official and is typically the top law enforcement officer of a county. Historically, the sheriff was also commander of the militia in that county. Distinctive to law enforcement in the United States, sheriffs are usually elected. The political election of...

 of each parish are secondary with matters concerning the highway. Court jurisdiction is allocated to the appropriate court and subject to the District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...

 over that section of the road. Inside cities and established municipalities the court of that jurisdiction is the authority. If a State Trooper
State police
State police are a type of sub-national territorial police force, particularly in Australia and the United States. Some other countries have analogous police forces, such as the provincial police in some Canadian provinces, while in other places, the same responsibilities are held by national...

 issues a speeding ticket, which is a citation and summons
Summons
Legally, a summons is a legal document issued by a court or by an administrative agency of government for various purposes.-Judicial summons:...

 to appear in court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...

, on a Louisiana highway, but inside a corporate city limits, the jurisdiction would fall under City Court. Outside any other court jurisdiction, the state court would be the court of jurisdiction.

Junction list

Parish Location Mile Junction Notes
Vernon Parish Pickering 0.00 Western terminus
Allen Parish Oakdale 34.58 Interchange
Evangeline Parish near Ville Platte Interchange
Evangeline Parish in Ville Platte Interchange
St. Landry Parish Washington Interchange
Pointe Coupee Parish Morganza Interchange
West Feliciana Parish St. Francisville Interchange
East Feliciana Parish Clinton LA 67 Interchange
St. Helena Parish Greensburg LA 43 Interchange
Tangipahoa Parish Tangipahoa Interchange
Washington Parish Bogalussa Eastern Termius

Points of interest

  • John James Audubon Bridge
    John James Audubon Bridge
    The following bridges are named the John James Audubon Bridge:*John James Audubon Bridge , a bridge connecting Kentucky and Indiana*John James Audubon Bridge , a bridge in Louisiana...

  • Angola Ferry
  • Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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