Louisiana Highway 2 (LA 2) is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
located in northern
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. It runs in an east–west direction from the
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
state line southwest of
Vivian to a junction with
U.S. Highway 65 (US 65) near
Lake Providence, just west of the
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
state line.
It is the northernmost cross-state highway in Louisiana and runs between
Interstate 20
Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with Interstate 10, I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with Interstate 95, I-95 in Flo ...
(I-20) and the
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
state line for its entire distance. LA 2 spans nine
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
, connecting five
parish seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
s with direct connections to the remaining four, traveling through
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
,
Bastrop, and smaller communities such as
Hosston,
Plain Dealing,
Sarepta
Sarepta (near modern Sarafand, Lebanon) was a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast between Sidon and Tyre, also known biblically as Zarephath. It became a bishopric, which faded, and remains a double (Latin and Maronite) Catholic titular ...
,
Bernice,
Farmerville,
Mer Rouge, and
Oak Grove. LA 2 also has intersections with many of the state's major north–south routes, such as
LA 1,
US 71,
US 371,
US 167,
US 165, and at its eastern terminus, US 65. An interchange with the newly constructed extension of
I-49
Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway that exists in multiple segments: the original portion entirely within the state of Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in S ...
was scheduled to be completed in Spring 2013 and opened to traffic later in the year.
Route description
Texas state line to Homer
From the west, LA 2 begins at the
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
state line, continuing the route of
Texas State Highway 49
State Highway 49 (SH 49) is a designated north–south state highway in Texas, running from Mount Pleasant, Texas to a point on the Texas-Louisiana border about north of Caddo Lake, where it meets Louisiana Highway 2, which continues onward ...
(SH 49) into northern
Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Caddo Parish (French language, French: ''Paroisse de Caddo'') is a Parish (administrative division), parish located in the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the parish ...
. LA 2 proceeds east as an undivided two-lane highway through the community of
Trees
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...
then curves to the northeast and back to the east around the tip of
Caddo Lake
Caddo Lake (french: Lac Caddo) is a lake and bayou (wetland) on the border between Texas and Louisiana, in northern Harrison County and southern Marion County in Texas and western Caddo Parish in Louisiana. The lake is named after the Caddoan ...
to intersect
LA 1 at a point north of
Oil City. LA 2 turns north, running concurrent with LA 1 along the
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...
(KCS) tracks into
Vivian. The highway widens to accommodate a center turning lane at Rebel Road. LA 2 then turns northeast onto Camp Road while LA 1 continues northward. Returning to two-lane capacity, LA 2 is now joined by
LA 170 which follows LA 1 through much of Vivian. After two blocks, LA 170 turns south onto South Pardue Street while LA 2 turns north and then east out of town. After , LA 2 enters
Hosston, where it intersects
US 71, which heads through
Ida
Ida or IDA may refer to:
Astronomy
* Ida Facula, a mountain on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter
*243 Ida, an asteroid
*International Docking Adapter, a docking adapter for the International Space Station
Computing
*Intel Dynamic Acceleration, a techn ...
into
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
on the north and to
Shreveport
Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...
on the south. From this junction, LA 2 turns north onto US 71 briefly before resuming its eastward course. outside of Hosston, LA 2 crosses a bridge over the
Red River and into
Bossier Parish
Bossier Parish ( ; french: Paroisse de Bossier) is a parish located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 census, the population was 116,979, and 128,746 in 2020.
The parish seat is Benton. The principal city is ...
.
In Bossier Parish, LA 2 intersects
LA 537 and continues east for another into
Plain Dealing. LA 2 follows Mary Lee Street through town and intersects
LA 3 (Louisiana Street), which also connects to Shreveport. Proceeding east from this intersection, LA 2 widens to an undivided four-lane highway. It then crosses the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
(UP) tracks and shortly thereafter intersects
LA 157 (North Magnolia Street), which takes a northeastern course toward
Springhill. LA 157 joins LA 2 eastward out of Plain Dealing, narrowing again to two lanes, before turning south toward
Rocky Mount. LA 2 continues due east for before intersecting
LA 529 (Emma Cemetery Road). Soon after this intersection, LA 2 crosses
Bodcau Bayou into
Webster Parish
Webster Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Webster'') is a parish located in the northwestern section of the U.S. state of Louisiana.
The seat of the parish is Minden.
As of the 2010 census, the Webster Parish population was 41,207. In 2018, the p ...
.
In Webster Parish, LA 2 enters
Sarepta
Sarepta (near modern Sarafand, Lebanon) was a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast between Sidon and Tyre, also known biblically as Zarephath. It became a bishopric, which faded, and remains a double (Latin and Maronite) Catholic titular ...
and intersects
US 371, which heads north into
Cullen and Springhill and south into
Minden
Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...
. After crossing this intersection, LA 2 immediately turns north onto South Main Street, running parallel to US 371 briefly before turning to the northeast. LA 2 is also signed from this point directly west to US 371, allowing drivers from either direction to bypass the short Main Street segment in favor of US 371. (This connector is officially LA 2 Spur). At a point northeast of Sarepta, LA 2 intersects
LA 802, which travels northwest to US 371 at
Porterville and
Bunker
A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. ...
. LA 2 then dips slightly to the south and crosses
Bayou Dorcheat at a point known as
Sykes Ferry. It then curves back to the northeast toward
Shongaloo where it intersects
LA 159. Here
LA 2 Alternate begins and runs eastward through
Haynesville, eventually meeting back up with LA 2 in
Bernice. Meanwhile, LA 2 turns southward and runs concurrent with LA 159 to a point known as
Leton. At an intersection with
LA 160, which heads west to
Cotton Valley, LA 159 continues southward to Minden while LA 2 turns to the southeast. Before crossing into
Claiborne Parish
Claiborne Parish (french: Paroisse de Claiborne) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located in the northwestern section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1828, and was named for the first List of Governors of Louis ...
, LA 2 intersects
LA 521, which heads north to
Millerton near the Arkansas state line.
After crossing the parish line, LA 2 intersects
LA 534 Spur at a point known as
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
. After , LA 2 intersects
LA 534 itself, which heads north toward Haynesville and south toward Minden. Curving due east, LA 2 intersects
LA 3062 which splits off to the southeast into downtown
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
, the parish seat, while LA 2 slightly bypasses the town to the north. Nearing the northwest corner of Homer, LA 2 intersects and begins a concurrency with
US 79 Byp., a western bypass of the town that is also designated as the
LA 9 truck route. Just after this intersection, the three concurrent highways intersect
LA 540, another route into Homer. After crossing the
Louisiana and North West (LNW)
short-line railroad
:''Short Line is also one of the four railroads in the American version of the popular board game Monopoly, named after the Shore Fast Line, an interurban streetcar line.''
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that opera ...
, the highways intersect
US 79. From this intersection, US 79 heads north to Haynesville and southwest through Homer to Minden; US 79 Byp. ends, having reached its parent route; and LA 2 and LA 9 Truck continue eastward out of Homer.
Homer to Bastrop
Just east of Homer, LA 2 intersects
LA 9, ending the concurrency with LA 9 Truck. LA 9 heads northeast through
Summerfield to
Junction City and south through Homer to points such as
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
and
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
. LA 2 continues due east past the northern end of
Lake Claiborne
Lake Claiborne is a reservoir located near the town of Homer, Louisiana, United States. Isolated in a rural area, it is a popular man-made fishing area that has a combined estimated area of . Lake Claiborne State Park, a Louisiana state maintai ...
then intersects
LA 806, which travels through a point known as
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. After , LA 2 intersects
LA 518 in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
. LA 518 provides a connection to
Lake Claiborne State Park
Lake Claiborne State Park is a recreation site located in Claiborne Parish, northwestern Louisiana, USA. It was opened in 1974 and is in size. The park provides access to scenic Lake Claiborne, a man-made water body formed by damming Bayou D ...
at
Aycock to the south. Before exiting Claiborne Parish, LA 2 intersects
LA 152, which splits off to the southeast toward
Dubach.
LA 2 crosses into
Union Parish
Union Parish ( French: ''Paroisse de l'Union'') is a parish located in the north central section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,107. The parish seat is Farmerville. The parish was created on Ma ...
and continues east, entering
Bernice on 8th Street. It then intersects
US 63/
US 167, which runs northbound along Cherry Street toward Junction City and southbound along Plum Street toward
Ruston. LA 2 turns north for four blocks, running briefly concurrent with US 63/US 167, to 4th Street where it meets the eastern terminus of LA 2 Alt. LA 2 then turns east, narrowing again to two lanes, and follows 4th Street out of Bernice. outside the town limit, LA 2 intersects
LA 550, after which it curves to the southeast through
Shiloh. LA 2 then continues in a general eastward direction for before making the first of several crossings over parts of
Bayou D'Arbonne Lake. Shortly afterward, LA 2 enters the town of
Farmerville, the parish seat. Here it turns south onto North Main Street, running concurrent with
LA 15. One block later at Miller Street,
LA 33 is added to the concurrency, having entered from the direction of
Marion Marion may refer to:
People
*Marion (given name)
*Marion (surname)
*Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion"
*Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992)
Places Antarctica
* Mario ...
to the northeast. After passing through the center of town, LA 2 turns east onto East Water Street, gaining a center turning lane, while LA 15/LA 33 continues southward across Bayou D'Arbonne Lake toward
Monroe and Ruston, respectively. At Holder Road, the center lane disappears, and LA 2 becomes an undivided two-lane highway again.
east of the Farmerville city limits, LA 2 intersects
LA 828 then turns to the southeast, intersecting
LA 143 at a point known as
Crossroads
Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to:
* Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet
Film and television Films
* ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa
* ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
. LA 143 connects to Monroe on the south. LA 2 and LA 143 begin a concurrency that lasts for , crossing
Bayou De Loutre and turning back to the east, until reaching a point just south of
Spencer where LA 143 turns north toward Marion. LA 2 then curves back to the southeast and crosses the
Ouachita River
The Ouachita River ( ) is a river that runs south and east through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana. It is the 25th-longest river in the United States ( ...
into the town of
Sterlington in
Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish (French: ''Paroisse d'Ouachita'') is located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 160,368. The parish seat is Monroe. The parish was formed in 1807.
Ouachita Parish i ...
. In Sterlington, LA 2 intersects
LA 553 which follows the Ouachita River southward. On the southeast end of town, LA 2 intersects
US 165 north of Monroe. LA 2 turns north, running concurrent with the divided four-lane US 165, and crosses from Ouachita Parish into
Morehouse Parish
Morehouse Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,979. The parish seat is Bastrop. The parish was formed in 1844.
Morehouse Parish comprises the Bastrop, LA Micropolitan Stat ...
.
On the parish line, at a point known as
Perryville, US 165 and LA 2 intersect
LA 554, which heads east to
Collinston. The two highways continue to the northeast, roughly parallel to
Bayou Bartholomew
Bayou Bartholomew is the longest bayou in the world, meandering approximately between the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 20 ...
, for (becoming an un-divided four-lane highway at Henry Avenue) to
Point Pleasant and an intersection with
LA 592 (Point Pleasant Road). US 165/LA 2 then curves to the east and enters the city of Bastrop.
Bastrop to eastern terminus
US 165 and LA 2 enter Bastrop on Madison Avenue. As they approach the center of town, eastbound traffic continues east on Madison while westbound traffic follows parallel Jefferson Avenue. At the city's main junction, US 165 and LA 2 intersect
US 425,
LA 139, and
LA 593 which travel northbound on Franklin Street and southbound on Washington Street. At this junction of five highways, US 425 and LA 593 continue north toward the Arkansas state line; LA 139 begins and heads south into Monroe; LA 593 heads south into Collinston; and US 165 and LA 2 are joined by US 425 eastward out of town. At an intersection with
LA 830-5 (Elm Street), the median gives way to a center turning lane. Several other minor state routes are encountered on the east side of Bastrop:
LA 830-6 (McCreight Street),
LA 830-4 (Cooper Lake Road),
LA 3051 (Grabault Road), and
LA 830-3 (Peach Orchard Road). At the intersection with LA 3051, the highway narrows again to two lanes.
past the intersection with LA 830-3, the three concurrent highways enter the village of
Mer Rouge on Davenport Avenue, its main street. Beginning at 18th Street, a median divides the street's two lanes. Reaching the village's main junction, which lies on either side of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, US 165 turns northward toward
Bonita and into Arkansas; US 425 turns south toward points such as
Oak Ridge and
Rayville;
LA 138 begins and heads south toward Collinston; and LA 2 continues on its own as an undivided two-lane highway. After running due east for a distance of , LA 2 crosses the
Boeuf River
The Boeuf River () is a tributary of the Ouachita River in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 201 ...
into
West Carroll Parish.
After crossing the parish line, LA 2 turns to the northeast and intersects
LA 585 at
Goodwill. After , LA 2 intersects
LA 582 at
Redwing
The redwing (''Turdus iliacus'') is a bird in the thrush family, Turdidae, native to Europe and the Palearctic, slightly smaller than the related song thrush.
Taxonomy and systematics
This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in h ...
. LA 582 heads eastward through
Forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
. Several more minor routes are encountered on the way into
Oak Grove, the parish seat:
LA 878,
LA 597,
LA 587, and
LA 879. LA 2 follows Main Street through Oak Grove, gaining a center turning lane, and intersects
LA 17 (Constitution Avenue), which heads northward to
Kilbourne and southward eventually to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
on
I-20
Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...
. Continuing east from LA 17, the center turn lane disappears, and LA 2 returns to an undivided two-lane highway for the remainder of its route. Just east of Oak Grove, LA 2 intersects
LA 589, another route into Forest, then crosses
Bayou Macon
Bayou Macon is a bayou in Arkansas and Louisiana. It begins in Desha County, Arkansas, and flows south, between the Boeuf River to its west and the Mississippi River to its east, before joining Joe's Bayou south of Delhi in Richland Parish, Loui ...
into
East Carroll Parish
East Carroll Parish (french: Paroisse de Carroll Est) is a parish located in the Mississippi Delta in northeastern Louisiana. As of 2020, its population was 7,459. The parish seat is Lake Providence. An area of cotton plantations in the antebell ...
. LA 2 travels east for a final before reaching its eastern terminus,
US 65, at
Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
, a point just north of
Lake Providence.
Byway designation
Nearly the entire route of LA 2 west of Lisbon constitutes the main path of the Boom or Bust Byway in the state-designated system of tourist routes known as the
Louisiana Scenic Byways
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is border ...
.
center, 800px, View of Lake Providence across US 65 from the east end of LA 2
History
Pre-1955 route numbering
In the
original Louisiana Highway system in use between 1921 and 1955, the modern LA 2 made up parts of several routes, including
State Route 202 from the western terminus at the Texas state line to the intersection with the modern LA 1 south of Vivian;
State Route 8 to Vivian;
State Route 109 to Plain Dealing;
State Route 70 to Shongaloo;
State Route 66
The following highways are numbered 66:
Australia
* Barkly Highway (Northern Territory)
* Riddoch Highway
Canada
* Alberta Highway 66
* Highway 66 (Ontario)
Finland
* Kantatie 66 ( Orivesi — Lapua)
France
* A66 autoroute
Germany
* Bu ...
to Leton;
State Route 490 to Homer;
State Route 11 to Lisbon;
State Route 489 to Bernice;
State Route 11 again to Farmerville;
State Route 815 to the intersection with the modern LA 143 west of Sterlington;
and State Route 11 once again to the eastern terminus north of Lake Providence.
Alignment changes since 1955
LA 2 was created with the
1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering
In 1955, Louisiana passed a law that undertook a comprehensive revision to the state highway classification and numbering system. The new system designated roads by importance to travel patterns and rectified the previous numbering system under n ...
,
and its route has seen two significant alignment changes—the bypassing of Homer and a re-routing through Webster Parish—and a series of other improvements.
LA 2 originally followed LA 3062 into downtown Homer. Upon reaching the intersection with US 79 and LA 9 at the courthouse square, LA 2 continued east out of town co-signed with LA 9.
The current alignment bypassing Homer to the north was opened in 1964, eliminating the concurrency with LA 9 and creating LA 3062 along the remainder of the bypassed route.
The other major alignment change shifted much of the route through Webster Parish. From the Bayou Dorcheat bridge at Sykes Ferry (the original western terminus of LA 2 Alt.), LA 2 turned southeast onto Fire Tower Road to LA 160. It then followed current LA 160 and Leton Cutoff Road to Leton. Here it turned south onto current LA 159 and east onto Pistol Thomas Road, rejoining the current alignment just west of Blackburn.
LA 2 assumed its current alignment between Sykes Ferry and Leton in the early 1970s following what was previously LA 2 Alt. to Shongaloo and co-signed with LA 159 to Leton. The western terminus of LA 2 Alt. was then truncated to its current location at Shongaloo.
Other alignment changes have included the creation of a
one-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities.
Descriptio ...
through Bastrop around 1969 with Madison Avenue converted to carry westbound traffic only and Jefferson Avenue added to carry eastbound traffic;
the slight relocation of the intersection with US 165 at Sterlington around 1982 (Waterside Drive northeast of Old Sterlington Road is a remnant of the original connection);
the streamlining of the junction at Leton about the same time;
the shift onto a new bridge over Bayou Dorcheat at Sykes Ferry around 1984;
and the re-routing onto a parallel street through Plain Dealing (LA 2 originally followed Palmetto Street east of LA 3).
More minor alignment changes resulted from the smoothing of several curves along the route, mostly in Claiborne and Union parishes. Remnants of the original route exist today as short sections of local roads such as Old Homer Road near Blackburn, Old Lisbon Road at LA 806, Rocky Springs Road at LA 518, and Ben Lowery Road east of Shiloh.
More recent alterations have included: a change of connector in Vivian, slightly shortening the route by following Camp Road instead of East Arkansas Avenue;
the widening of US 63/US 167 to four lanes through Bernice, much of which is concurrent with LA 2, by converting Cherry Street to carry northbound traffic only and parallel Plum Street added to carry southbound traffic;
and lastly, the construction of a high-level bridge over the Ouachita River slightly shifted the alignment at Sterlington. The new bridge, opened in July 2009,
replaced the original
swing bridge
A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...
completed in 1932 during the administration of Governor
Huey P. Long
Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...
.
The original bridge existed just to the south of the current span and has been demolished, but the approach roads still exist. The approach on the Union Parish side is now a local road
while that on the Ouachita Parish side is now an extension of LA 553
as the height of the new bridge prevents LA 2 and LA 553 to intersect at the original location.
Future
Construction is currently underway by the
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is a state government organization in the United States, in charge of maintaining public transportation, roadways, bridges, canals, select levees, floodplain management, port facili ...
(La DOTD) to extend
I-49
Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway that exists in multiple segments: the original portion entirely within the state of Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in S ...
north from Shreveport to the Arkansas state line parallel to US 71, a project scheduled for completion in 2016. An interchange with LA 2 has been constructed east of Hosston and is set to open in Summer 2013 along with all but the southernmost portion of the project on the northwest side of Shreveport.
Major intersections
Special routes
Shongaloo–Bernice alternate route
Louisiana Highway 2 Alternate (LA 2 Alt.) runs in an east–west direction from
Shongaloo to
Bernice, connecting to LA 2 at either end.
LA 2 Alt. parallels the route of LA 2 to the north, traveling through the town of
Haynesville where it intersects
US 79.
LA 2 Alt. is an anomaly in the current state highway system, being the only
special state route designated in the
1955 renumbering and the only "Alternate" state route.
Its route has seen only one major change, the relocation of its western terminus from
Sykes Ferry to Shongaloo in the early 1970s.
The intervening route was assumed by LA 2, which was re-routed through Webster Parish at this time, shortening LA 2 Alt. by .
Sarepta spur route
Louisiana Highway 2 Spur (LA 2 Spur) provides a direct connection between westbound LA 2 and northbound
US 371 in
Sarepta
Sarepta (near modern Sarafand, Lebanon) was a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast between Sidon and Tyre, also known biblically as Zarephath. It became a bishopric, which faded, and remains a double (Latin and Maronite) Catholic titular ...
.
From the east, as LA 2 turns south onto Main Street, LA 2 Spur continues straight ahead to US 371, a distance of on an undivided two-lane roadway.
LA 2 Spur also allows LA 2 traffic from either direction to bypass the brief section of the route running along Main Street in favor of the parallel US 371. This is facilitated by the route being signed simply as LA 2 with directional markers at US 371 leading back to the actual LA 2.
LA 2 Spur was created around 1959 when
LA 7 (now US 371), formerly concurrent with LA 2 along Main Street, was shifted onto a parallel alignment through Sarepta.
See also
*
*
Notes
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
Maps / GIS Data Homepage Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
Boom or Bust Bywayat Louisiana Scenic Byways
0002
Transportation in Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Transportation in Bossier Parish, Louisiana
Transportation in Webster Parish, Louisiana
Transportation in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Transportation in Union Parish, Louisiana
Transportation in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
Transportation in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Transportation in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana
Transportation in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana