Mayor-President Melvin L. “Kip” Holden will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Staring Lane Extension project at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 16, 2011 in the project right-of-way area, with parking provided at Stoney Creek Avenue and the Staring Lane Extension (driving directions attached). This ribbon cutting ceremony marks the 15thcompleted roadway construction project for the Green Light Plan.
“The completion of the Staring Lane Extension project means the opening of a major area of congestion while providing some much-needed capacity and relief to the surrounding area,” said Mayor-President Melvin “Kip” Holden. “Like all Green Light Plan projects, this is one that will provide immediate benefits for our citizens. Less congestion on roadways such as Highland Road, Staring Lane, and Burbank Drive, means motorists are able to get out of traffic and where they need to go, quickly and safely.”
With a construction cost of $16,038,420 and an actual completion date of June 15, 2011, the new four-lane Staring Lane Extension provides a direct link from Essen/Staring Lane to Burbank Drive. The project also included the construction of sound walls along the Highland Creek Subdivision that border the roadway right-of-way, the construction of a bridge crossing Bayou Fountain and re-alignment of the Bayou Fountain channel, sewer capacity improvements, sidewalks for improved pedestrian access in the neighborhood area, and new traffic signals with turn lanes at both Burbank Drive and Highland Road.
When combined with the Staring Lane Improvements project, currently under construction from Perkins Road to Highland Road, the project will provide an improved four-lane north-south link from I-10/Essen Lane directly to Burbank Drive.
Ribbon Cutting Participants
From East Baton Rouge Parish:
Mayor-President Melvin L. “Kip” Holden, East Baton Rouge City-Parish
John Carpenter, Chief Administrative Officer, East Baton Rouge City-Parish
From the Department of Public Works:
William Daniel, P.E., Acting Director
Bryan Harmon, P.E., Deputy Director
Jim Ferguson, P.E., M.B.A., Chief Design Engineer
Ingolf Partenheimer, P.E., Chief Traffic Engineer
Jose Alvarez, P.E., Chief Construction Engineer
From the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development:
Trey Jesclard, P.E., Assistant Road Design Administrator
From the Green Light Plan; CSRS, Inc.:
Michael Songy, P.E., Program Director
Brad Ponder, P.E., Program Manager
From the SSO Program:
Michael Ellis, SSO Program Manager
From the Engineering Consultant; Pyburn & Odom, Inc..:
Chris Odom
From the Contractor; James Construction Group, LLC.:
Scott Ashmore
