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DOTD installs speed feedback signage, changes speed limits along Atchafalaya Basin Bridge
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RAMAH — Drivers in St. Martin and Iberville parishes will begin to notice "your speed" feedback signs warning them to slow down when driving too fast on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, the Department of Transportation and Development announced Tuesday.
"If it can remind people to drive that consistent speed it will definitely be safer because you're not having people pumping on the brakes or weaving in and out of traffic, if they can just stay that same speed, I think it's a good idea," traffic engineer Brin Ferlito said.
LaDOTD said that the speed limit has also changed for all motorists to 60 mph, a change from the previous speed limit of 55 for trucks and 60 for cars.
“If everybody is doing the same speed, and if everybody is obeying the speed limit, then you're not going to have the at pump on the brakes and erratic behavior," Ferlito said.
Trucks driving on the stretch of Interstate 10 between Baton Rouge and Lafayette will be restricted to the right lane only.
"And the idea is at least to have people driving the speed limit on the right side lane and that left side lane to pass those cars," Ferlito said. "That should be for passing so you can keep going your normal speed instead of slowing down in that outside lane."
The intention of the signage and speed limit change is so all vehicles will be moving at a consistent speed, with the end goal being a reduction in crashes and other incidents, DOTD said.
The changes along the basin bridge are a result of a piece of 2022 legislation establishing the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge as a Highway Safety Corridor, which calls for additional signage and speed cameras. A piece of 2024 legislation rolled back the requirement that stated cameras had to be used.
The "your speed" feedback signage was the second phase in the project, the first being additional signage installed in March.
The final phase will take place in late 2025, WBRZ reported.
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