Pineville Expressway Explained

State:LA
Alternate Name:Pineville Expressway
Type:US
Route:167
Map:Pineville Expressway map.svg
Length Mi:10.5
Established:1963
Direction A:South
Terminus A: in Alexandria
Junction: in Pineville
near Pineville
Direction B:North
Terminus B: near Creola
Parishes:Rapides

The Pineville Expressway is a four-lane controlled-access freeway that extends from I-49 in Alexandria through Pineville. It carries US 167 for all of its length, but also carries US 71 and LA 28 for some distance also. It follows the original routing of LA 3026 for some distance, as the highway has been extended over time. It also serves as a bypass around the residential areas of Pineville and Tioga.

History

Construction of the Pineville Expressway began in 1963. It would later be incorporated into US 167. It originally carried four lanes of LA 3026 across the Red River on a lift bridge, carrying the highway along a railroad line, past Louisiana College, and around Pineville to meet US 165.

Later in the 1970s, the Pineville Expressway connected north, bypassing Tioga and ending just south of the Grant Parish line. U.S. 167 and U.S. 71 were rerouted onto this alignment, with the old road through Tioga becoming LA 3225.[1]

Louisiana Highway 3026

State:LA
Type:LA 1955
Route:3026
Length Mi:4.9
Established:1963
Deleted:1978
Direction A:South
Direction B:North
Location:Rapides Parish

Louisiana Highway 3026 (LA 3026) was a state highway in Louisiana that served Rapides Parish. Running from Pineville to Tioga, it has been superseded by US 167.

LA 3026 began at an intersection with LA 28, which took over the lower half of the Pineville Expressway. LA 3026 was the slow extension of the Expressway, built in segments to meet US 165, and was pushed forward to meet US 71 and US 167. Once LA 3026 was extended around Tioga to meet LA 3225, US 71/167 was moved onto the alignment. US 71 remained on the alignment from US 165 through the VA complex, while US 167 was shifted completely, deleting the designation of LA 3026 in 1978.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Southeast Roads Highway Guide . 2012-05-23.