Project Spotlight | Pont Des Mouton Roadway Design and Expansion

The 1.4-mile stretch of East Pont Des Mouton Road between I-49 and Louisiana Avenue in is an arterial roadway connecting major thoroughfares in the City of Lafayette, LA. In recent decades, specifically between the years of 1997 and 2012, the corridor experienced growth in average daily traffic from approximately 2,700 vehicles to nearly 12,600 vehicles. Local businesses, shopping centers, churches, a major recreational park, and the Louisiana State Police Troop I Headquarters are located along the corridor. These and other area developments led to the necessity of the roadway expansion project.??

This critical infrastructure project included intersection design for three major interchanges at I-49, Moss Street, and Louisiana Avenue. The project was designed and constructed in two subsequent phases. The first phase was relocation of water and sewer utilities including the upgrade of an undersized wastewater lift station to a major lift station capable of flowing 2.0 million gallons per day. The second phase was the conversion of a two-lane asphalt roadway with open ditches to a four-lane, concrete roadway with a boulevard and subsurface drainage.

Utility Relocation | The project began with the relocation of water and sewer utilities along the project corridor. Utility design involved relocating all water mains, fire hydrants, water service meters, sewer mains, sewer manholes, and the wastewater lift station—all outside of the footprint of the proposed four-lane roadway. The water improvements included replacing 6” and 8” water mains with 12” water mains throughout the corridor, installation of all new water meters for businesses and residents, along with the placement of fire hydrants for optimal fire protection. The sanitary sewer portion of this project necessitated the design and installation of over 8,000 cumulative feet of 8”, 15”, 18”, 21”, and 24” gravity sewer mains, 1,500 feet of 10” force main, and the 2 MGD lift station.?

Roadway and Drainage | Due to the increase in traffic and projected population growth in north Lafayette and Carencro, road widening was essential for the current and future handling of local transportation capacities. C. H. Fenstermaker & Associates, L.L.C. was selected to perform engineering design services to convert the two-lane asphalt roadway with steep, open ditches to a four-lane concrete paved roadway comprised of a landscaped boulevard, a new street lighting system, and a curb and gutter subsurface drainage system to ensure adequate drainage. Subsurface drainage included the installation of approximately 14,300 feet of reinforced concrete pipe (RCP), including 1,400 feet of 84” RCP. In addition, 14,000 linear feet of 5’ wide sidewalk were installed along with retaining walls to preserve businesses and residential property.

A unique and endearing aspect of the project was the preservation of three one-hundred-year-old heritage class live oak trees. A careful consideration was required during the design of the roadway, sidewalk system, and the retaining walls adjacent the live oak trees to ensure a continued healthful existence.?

In addition to engineering design, Fenstermaker provided construction inspection services including the construction oversight and documentation of drainage and utility installations, as well as roadway construction utilizing Portland cement concrete paving. Inspection services further involved the supervision of concrete structure installations for both drainage and wastewater enhancements. An additional success of this project was to allow for the construction of new, concrete driveways for commercial and residential properties along the East Pont Des Mouton Roadway corridor—a subtle element of beautification, encouraging business patronage and spurring additional economic development.???

This project transformed a very congested and narrow corridor with no sidewalks and unsafe, aesthetically unpleasing ditches, into a wide roadway now comfortably facilitating the use of automobiles, pedestrians, and cyclists. Such a transformation provides citizens with an implicit understanding of the role of civil engineering for the betterment of our everyday lives. This project has enhanced the quality of life for all roadway users and their improved experience with the corridor confirms the value of the engineering profession, advocating its importance to future engineers.