Length 305.6 km | Constructed 1959 | |
 | ||
Existed: 1957 (designated);
1960 (signed) – present West end: I-20 at the Texas state line west of Greenwood, LA East end: I-20 / US 80 at the Mississippi state line west of Vicksburg, MS | ||
Interstate 20 (I-20) spans a total of 189.87 miles (305.57 km) in an east–west direction through the state of Louisiana. It runs from the Texas state line west of Greenwood to the Mississippi state line, where it crosses the Mississippi River into Vicksburg.
Contents
- Texas state line to Shreveport Interstate 49
- Shreveport to Monroe
- Monroe to Mississippi state line
- Related routes
- References
I-20 traverses the northern portion of the state, serving the metropolitan areas of Shreveport–Bossier City and Monroe, as well as the smaller cities of Minden and Ruston. It entirely parallels the older U.S. Highway 80 (US 80) corridor through Louisiana. The route is mirrored by I-10, which traverses the southern portion of the state. The two are connected by I-49, the state's major north–south interstate highway.
Texas state line to Shreveport (Interstate 49)
Interstate 20 enters Louisiana about 20 miles east of Marshall, Texas, near Waskom. Interstate 20 passes through Greenwood to the north of town, where US 80/ 79 serve as the main east-west highway. I-20 enters Shreveport about 5 miles east of Greenwood. I-20 intersects I-220 (the north Shreveport bypass) and Hwy 3132 (the south Shreveport bypass) on the westside of the city. On the way to Downtown Shreveport, I-20 intersects US 171 and serves as the current northern terminus of I-49.
Shreveport to Monroe
As I-20 leaves Shreveport, it passes through Bossier City where it shares an overlap with US 71. I-20 passes north of Barksdale AFB where it intersects I-220 and heads east towards Monroe. On its way to Monroe, I-20 traverses mainly rural, hilly terrain as it passes through the towns of Minden, Arcadia, Grambling, Ruston, and West Monroe.
Monroe to Mississippi state line
I-20 passes through Monroe, where it intersects US 165. East of Monroe, I-20 enters flatter terrain as it passes through Rayville, Delhi, and Tallulah. About 15 miles east of Tallulah, I-20 crosses over the Mississippi River into Mississippi in Vicksburg.
Related routes
Interstate 420 was to be a bypass of Monroe, Louisiana. Initially proposed in the late 1950s, this route was to have been only two lanes wide at a cost $29 million with a projected 2,500 to 3,000 ADT in 1964. The project was effectively canceled on October 12, 1964, when then Louisiana Representative Hale Boggs agreed to no longer seek funding for the route. This was done in favor of focusing all efforts at funding and getting built New Orleans' Vieux Carré Expressway.