.svg) Louisiana Highway 17 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Route of LA 17 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byLouisiana DOTD | ||||
| Length | 66.531 mi[1] (107.071 km) | |||
| Existed | 1955 renumbering–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |     US 425 /LA 4 /LA 15 /LA 130 inWinnsboro | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| North end |  AR 159 atArkansas state line inKilbourne | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Louisiana | |||
| Parishes | Franklin,Richland,West Carroll | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Louisiana Highway 17 (LA 17) is astate highway located in northeasternLouisiana. It runs 66.53 miles (107.07 km) in a north–south direction from the junction ofU.S. Highway 425 (US 425),LA 4,LA 15, andLA 130 inWinnsboro to theArkansas state line atKilbourne.
LA 17 traverses a mostly rural area on an alignment roughly midway between the parallelUS 65 and US 425 corridors. Heading northeast from Winnsboro, the seat ofFranklin Parish, LA 17 connects a number of tiny communities located on the west side ofBayou Macon. After crossing intoRichland Parish, the highway passes through the town ofDelhi and straightens to follow alongside the abandoned right-of-way of theMissouri Pacific Railroad. The northern half of LA 17 functions as the main north–south highway throughWest Carroll Parish, connecting the villages ofEpps,Pioneer,Forest, andKilbourne, as well as the parish seat ofOak Grove.
In Delhi, LA 17 connects with bothInterstate 20 (I-20) andUS 80, providing access to the ancient Native American earthworks atPoverty Point State Historic Site and National Monument. This site is located alongLA 134 just east of Epps and was designated as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 2014.
LA 17 was created in the1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering, replacing the formerState Route 16, one of the original 98 state highway designations assigned in 1921.
From the south, LA 17 begins at a junction of five numbered highways located at the four-way intersection of Front Street, Kinloch Street, and Taylor Avenue inWinnsboro.US 425/LA 15 passes through this intersection on Front Street, the city's main thoroughfare, en route toMonroe on the north. To the south, US 425/LA 15 travels towardNatchez, Mississippi running briefly concurrent with westboundLA 4. Opposite the southern terminus of LA 17,LA 130 begins and heads west on Taylor Avenue towardLiddieville. From this junction, LA 17 heads east on Kinloch Street, an undivided two-lane thoroughfare, running concurrent with eastbound LA 4. After a few blocks, the highway makes a zigzag onto Main Street and widens to an undivided four-lane highway with a center turning lane.[2][3][4]
Just outside the city limits, the roadway curves to the northeast while LA 4 turns off to the southeast towardNewellton. Returning to two-lane capacity, LA 17 proceeds through ruralFranklin Parish. After 8.3 miles (13.4 km), the highway passes through the small community ofCrowville and intersects several minor state highways, includingLA 577, which connects toBaskin on the west. Over the remaining 12.9 miles (20.8 km) in Franklin Parish, LA 17 continues northeast through rural farmland and intersects several more minor highways, includingLA 132 toMangham.[2][3][4]
After crossing intoRichland Parish, LA 17 passesDelhi Municipal Airport and enters the town ofDelhi. Widening to four lanes, the highway passes through adiamond interchange withI-20, connecting with Monroe to the west andVicksburg, Mississippi to the east. Traveling through the center of town on Broadway Street, LA 17 crosses theKansas City Southern Railway (KCS) line at grade and intersectsUS 80 (1st Street). North of town, LA 17 intersectsLA 854 and passesPoverty Point Reservoir State Park. After passing through the tiny community ofWarden, LA 17 crosses intoWest Carroll Parish atMitchiner and a junction withLA 877.[2][5][6]
In West Carroll Parish, LA 17 proceeds northeast through the village ofEpps. A junction withLA 134 here leads to the ancient Native American earthworks of thePoverty Point State Historic Site and National Monument, one of only 23UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites in the United States.[7] Over the next 18 miles (29 km), LA 17 passes through the rural communities ofDarnell,Pioneer, andForest before reaching the town ofOak Grove, the seat of West Carroll Parish. LA 17 heads north into town on Constitution Avenue and widens to an undivided four-lane highway with a center turning lane. In the center of Oak Grove, LA 17 intersectsLA 2 (Main Street), connecting withLake Providence to the east andBastrop to the west. These are the seats of neighboringEast Carroll andMorehouse parishes, respectively.[2][6][8]
North of Oak Grove, LA 17 narrows to an undivided two-lane highway once again. After passing the tiny rural communities ofTerry andChickasaw, the highway enters the village ofKilbourne. Traveling on Kilbourne Avenue, LA 17 reaches its final junction,LA 585 (Louisiana Avenue). The highway ends 0.5 miles (0.80 km) later at theArkansas state line, where the road continues towardsEudora, Arkansas asArkansas Highway 159 (AR 159).[2][6][8]
LA 17 is classified by theLouisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD) as an urban minor arterial in the Winnsboro area and as a rural minor arterial otherwise. Daily traffic volume in 2013 peaked at 9,800 vehicles in Winnsboro and 10,300 at the I-20 interchange in Delhi. Most of the route averaged under 4,000 vehicles daily with a low of 1,930 reported north of Epps.[9] The posted speed limit is generally 55 mph (90 km/h) in rural areas, reduced to between 30 mph (50 km/h) and 40 mph (65 km/h) through town.[2]
.svg) State Route 16 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Winnsboro–Kilbourne |
| Length | 67.2 mi[10][11][12] (108.1 km) |
| Existed | 1921–1955 |
In theoriginal Louisiana Highway system in use between 1921 and 1955, LA 17 was designated asState Route 16.[13] It was created in 1921 by an act of the state legislature as one of the first 98 state highway routes.[14]
Route 16. Beginning at Arkansas State line at Kilbourne, through Oak Grove, Delhi, to Winnsboro.
— 1921 legislative route description[14]
The western terminus of Route 16 was originally located just outside Winnsboro at the present junction of LA 4/LA 17 andLA 864.Route 15, which retained its number in the1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering, followed the path of current LA 864 and LA 4/LA 17 through town at this time.[15] In the early 1940s, Front Street was completed along the now-abandonedMissouri Pacific Railroad line, streamlining the path of Route 15 through Winnsboro.[16][17] The Route 16 designation was then extended west into town to maintain its junction with Route 15.[10]
The entirety of Route 16 was surfaced with gravel by the mid-1920s.[18] In 1930, a short section of the route through Oak Grove was hard-surfaced.[19][20] Paving was completed south from Oak Grove to Delhi in 1932[21][22] and north from Oak Grove to Kilbourne in 1936.[23][24] The remainder of Route 16 between Winnsboro and Delhi was paved in 1941.[25][26]
LA 17 was created in 1955 as a direct renumbering of former Route 16.[13][27]
La 17—From a junction with La 15 at or near Winnsboro through or near Crowville, Delhi and Oak Grove to the Arkansas State Line near Kilbourne.
— 1955 legislative route description[27]
Since the 1955 renumbering, very few changes have been made to the alignment of LA 17. During the late 1980s, a curve was smoothed out between LA 132 and the Franklin–West Carroll parish line.[28][29] McDowell Road, a local road, is a remnant of the original alignment there. About this same time, a more significant improvement was carried out that streamlined the route through Oak Grove. The original route followed the Missouri Pacific Railroad to the center of town then made a zigzag east onto Main Street and north onto Briggs Street to rejoin the railroad line and the current alignment. After the abandonment of the MoPac line, the four-lane Constitution Avenue alignment was constructed upon its right-of-way.[30][31]
| Parish | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | Winnsboro | 0.000 | 0.000 |  US 425 /LA 4 west /LA 15 (Front Street) –Monroe,NatchezLA 130 west (Taylor Avenue) –Liddieville | Southern terminus of LA 17; eastern terminus of LA 130; south end of LA 4 concurrency |
| 0.558 | 0.898 |  LA 865 (Pine Street) | Southern terminus of LA 865 (northern section) | ||
| 0.989 | 1.592 |  LA 864 (Loop Road) | Northern terminus of LA 864 | ||
| | 1.510 | 2.430 |  LA 4 east –Newellton | North end of LA 4 concurrency | |
| Bushes | 7.620 | 12.263 |  LA 555 | Northern terminus of LA 555 | |
| Crowville | 9.779 | 15.738 |  LA 577 west | South end of LA 577 concurrency | |
| 9.862 | 15.871 |  LA 578 | Northern terminus of LA 578 | ||
| 10.046 | 16.167 | LA 577 east | North end of LA 577 concurrency | ||
| Longview | 11.341 | 18.252 |  LA 861 | Western terminus of LA 861 | |
| | 14.705 | 23.665 |  LA 860 | ||
| Bakers | 17.300 | 27.842 |  LA 858 | Eastern terminus of LA 858 | |
| | 21.539 | 34.664 |  LA 132 west –Mangham | Eastern terminus of LA 132 | |
| Richland | Delhi | 25.223– 25.368 | 40.592– 40.826 |  I-20 –Monroe,Vicksburg | Exit 153 on I-20 |
| 26.317 | 42.353 |  US 80 (1st Street) –Tallulah,Monroe | |||
| | 27.830 | 44.788 |  LA 854 | Eastern terminus of LA 854 | |
| Warden | 32.154 | 51.747 |  LA 855 | Eastern terminus of LA 855 | |
| Richland–West Carroll parish line | Mitchiner | 35.349 | 56.889 |  LA 877 | Western terminus of LA 877 |
| West Carroll | Epps | 36.927 | 59.428 |  LA 134 –Oak Ridge,Lake Providence | ToPoverty Point State Historic Site |
| Darnell | 42.195 | 67.906 | LA 577 | ||
| Pioneer | 46.482 | 74.806 |  LA 588 west (Cherry Street) | South end of LA 588 concurrency | |
| | 47.407 | 76.294 | LA 588 east | North end of LA 588 concurrency | |
| Forest | 50.064 | 80.570 |  LA 582 | ||
| 50.534 | 81.327 |  LA 589 east | South end of LA 589 concurrency | ||
| 50.708 | 81.607 | LA 589 west | North end of LA 589 concurrency | ||
| Oak Grove | 55.542 | 89.386 |  LA 2 (Main Street) –Lake Providence,Bastrop | ||
| | 60.033 | 96.614 |  LA 586 | Eastern terminus of LA 586 | |
| | 64.449 | 103.721 |  LA 880 | Western terminus of LA 880 | |
| Kilbourne | 66.034 | 106.271 |  LA 585 (Louisiana Avenue) | ||
| 66.531 | 107.071 |  AR 159 north –Eudora | Northern terminus; continuation inArkansas | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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