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PORT ALLEN, La. (AP) — West Baton Rouge Parish officials say they have received word that relief is on the way for daily congestion along La. Highway 1 and the Mississippi River bridge on Interstate 10.
In a July 10 letter to the West Baton Rouge Parish school system, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development informed school leaders its traffic engineers are working on a comprehensive review of signal timing throughout the La. 1 corridor.
Officials with DOTD were responding to pressure from the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board, which has urged the state to address the growing traffic along the popular thoroughfare.
School board President Jason Manola tells The Advocate (http://bit.ly/UIi4Qp ) the daily traffic frustrations also pose safety concerns should any type of emergency arise at a school along La. 1.
"If a child required medical attention, it would be kind of hard to get to them, especially around 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon," he said.
The West Baton Rouge Parish School Board joins a growing list of government entities and local businesses in the parish that are pleading with the state to focus on the issue. They are looking for the state to go big on fixing traffic problems around Port Allen with major infrastructure investments.
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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
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