South end: LA 342 in Lafayette Length 46.02 km | North end: LA 31 in Arnaudville | |
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Existed: 1955 renumbering – present Tourist
routes: The Real French Destination Scenic Byway
Zydeco Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway Parishes Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana | ||
Louisiana Highway 93 (LA 93) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs 28.60 miles (46.03 km) in a southwest to northeast direction from LA 342 in Lafayette to LA 31 in Arnaudville.
Contents
- Map of LA 93 Louisiana USA
- Scott to Sunset
- Sunset to Arnaudville
- Route classification and data
- History
- Future
- References
Map of LA-93, Louisiana, USA
The majority of the route travels north–south, connecting the small city of Scott with southwestern Lafayette and the twin towns of Sunset and Grand Coteau. It then follows an east–west path between Grand Coteau and Arnaudville, located on Bayou Teche. The north–south directional banners are generally absent from the highway's signage over this latter portion. Over the course of its route, LA 93 crosses two Interstate Highways and two U.S. Highways: I-10 and US 90 in Scott and the concurrent I-49/US 167 in Grand Coteau.
LA 93 was designated in the 1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering, replacing three shorter former routes: State Route 538, State Route 161, and State Route 245. Prior to 2015, LA 93 was slightly longer on its southern end, as it once followed Ridge Road east of LA 342 to a junction with US 167. This portion of the route was returned to local control as part of the state highway department's recently adopted Road Transfer program. In the future, the entire route south of Scott is planned to be deleted from the state highway system.
Scott to Sunset
From the south, LA 93 begins at a roundabout junction with Ridge Road in the southwestern portion of the city of Lafayette. Ridge Road travels west from the roundabout as part of LA 342 toward Judice and east as a local road to a nearby junction with US 167 (Johnston Street). LA 93 heads due north on Rue du Belier, an undivided two-lane thoroughfare with a center turning lane, and crosses into the smaller neighboring city of Scott. After passing Acadiana High School, the highway narrows as the center lane is discontinued. The route then zigzags east onto Dulles Drive and north onto West Gate Road to a junction with US 90 (Cameron Street).
LA 93 turns west to follow US 90 through the center of town for 1.3 miles (2.1 km) before turning north again onto Apollo Road. On the northwest side of town, LA 93 continues through a roundabout onto St. Mary Street and immediately enters a diamond interchange with I-10 at exit 97. I-10 parallels the route of US 90 through the region, connection with Lafayette to the east and Lake Charles to the west.
North of Scott, LA 93 enters more rural surroundings as it passes through areas known as Ossun and Vatican. Between the two communities is a junction with LA 98 (West Gloria Switch Road), which leads eastward into Carencro. Just north of Vatican, LA 93 crosses from Lafayette Parish into St. Landry Parish. Shortly afterward, the highway passes through the village of Cankton, where it is known locally as Main Street.
Sunset to Arnaudville
Just north of Cankton, LA 93 curves to the northeast at a junction with LA 356 and proceeds into the town of Sunset, gaining the local name of Sunset Strip. The route turns east briefly onto Napoleon Avenue and runs concurrent with LA 182. Within in a short distance, LA 93 turns northeast again onto Duffy Avenue, an undivided four-lane highway with a center turning lane. It then crosses into the adjacent town of Grand Coteau and passes through a diamond interchange with the concurrent I-49/US 167 at exit 11. The interstate provides another connection to Lafayette as well as the city of Opelousas. Now traveling along Martin Luther King Drive, LA 93 returns to two-lane capacity and makes a sharp turn to the southeast through Grand Coteau.
Heading eastward from the small town, LA 93 crosses Bayou Fusilier into St. Martin Parish. The highway then parallels the bayou (and the parish line) for about three miles (4.8 km) before reaching its terminus at a T-intersection with LA 31 in Arnaudville. From this junction, LA 31 heads north on Faculty Street into the town and south on Neblet Street along Bayou Teche toward Breaux Bridge.
Route classification and data
LA 93 is classified by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD) as an urban minor arterial from the southern terminus to LA 98 and as a rural major collector for the remainder of the route. Daily traffic volume in 2013 peaked at 15,800 vehicles in Scott and 11,300 in Sunset with most of the route averaging less than 5,000 vehicles. The posted speed limit is 55 mph (90 km/h) in rural areas but is reduced as low as 30 or 35 mph (50 or 55 km/h) through town.
The entire route of LA 93 is included in the state-designated system of tourist routes known as the Louisiana Scenic Byways. The portion between Lafayette and Sunset makes up the entirety of The Real French Destination Scenic Byway, while the remainder from Sunset to Arnaudville is part of the Zydeco Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway.
History
In the original Louisiana Highway system in use between 1921 and 1955, LA 93 was part of three shorter routes: State Route 538 from the southern terminus to Scott; State Route 161 to Sunset; and State Route 245 to Arnaudville. All three routes originated from various acts of the Louisiana Legislature between 1926 and 1930. These highway segments were joined together under the single designation of LA 93 when the Louisiana Department of Highways renumbered the state highway system in 1955.
La 93—From a junction with La-US 167 southwest of Lafayette through or near Scott, Vatican, Sunset and Grand Coteau to a junction with La 31 at or near Arnaudville.
As the above description indicates, the southern terminus of LA 93 was originally a junction with US 167 southwest of Lafayette. It was located at the modern intersection of Johnston Street and Ridge Road, which is now within the Lafayette city limits. The portion of Ridge Road between US 167 and LA 342 had been a small part of State Route 176 prior to the 1955 renumbering. It became part of LA 93 until being transferred to local control in 2015 as part of La DOTD's Road Transfer program. In the future, the remainder of LA 93 between the roundabout and US 90 in Scott is to be similarly removed from the state highway system. The current southern terminus is located at a roundabout that was constructed in 2003, replacing a standard four-way intersection. It is believed to be the first modern roundabout built in the state of Louisiana and has since been followed by several more within Lafayette Parish.
Since the 1955 renumbering, most changes to LA 93 have involved the smoothing of various zigzags along the route, a typical feature of the rural farm roads the highway was originally aligned with. Several right-angle turns were eliminated between Scott and Cankton prior to 1958. At the same time, a short section of highway was constructed in Sunset, reducing the number of right-angle turns heading into town from five to one. The original alignment followed Churchill Street, MacArthur Drive, Anna Street, and Landry Street to Napoleon Avenue.
The most significant realignment occurred in Scott, where LA 93 was moved from its original path along St. Mary Street onto Apollo Road. This road had been constructed in 1981 as a truck route officially designated as LA 3168 and co-signed as LA 93 Truck. Sometime afterward, St. Mary Street was transferred to local control, and the signage for LA 93 was removed from the route. However, Apollo Road continued to be signed as LA 93 Truck and LA 3168 until new signage identifying the route solely as mainline LA 93 was installed in 2013 in connection with another roundabout project at the junction of Apollo Road and St. Mary Street.
Future
La DOTD is currently engaged in a program that aims to transfer about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of state-owned roadways to local governments over the next several years. Under this plan of "right-sizing" the state highway system, the portion of LA 93 south of US 90 in Scott is proposed for deletion as it no longer meets a significant interurban travel function.