Louisiana Highway 138 marker

Louisiana Highway 138

Route of LA 138 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Louisiana DOTD
Length12.740 mi[1] (20.503 km)
Existed1955 renumbering–present
Major junctions
South end LA 134 south of Collinston
North end US 165 / US 425 / LA 2 in Mer Rouge
Location
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishesMorehouse
Highway system
  • Louisiana State Highway System
← LA 137→ LA 139
← SR C-1556C-1557→ SR C-1558

Louisiana Highway 138 (LA 138) is a state highway located in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana. It runs 12.74 miles (20.50 km) in a north–south direction from LA 134 south of Collinston to a junction with U.S. Highway 165 (US 165), U.S. Highway 425 (US 425), and LA 2 in Mer Rouge.

A largely rural route, LA 138 connects the small villages of Collinston and Mer Rouge, located northeast of Monroe. Its southern terminus (LA 134) leads to Monroe in neighboring Ouachita Parish, as well as the village of Oak Ridge in southern Morehouse Parish. The northern terminus is located at the east end of the concurrency of US 165 and US 425. The two highways split toward Monroe and the Arkansas state line, respectively, after heading west into Bastrop, the parish seat.

Route description

LA 138 near the junction with LA 3051

From the south, LA 138 begins at an intersection with LA 134 (Coulee Swamp Road) in southern Morehouse Parish. LA 134 connects to the city of Monroe on the southwest and the village of Oak Ridge on the east. LA 138 proceeds northward along Doss Highway through rural farmland and crosses the Union Pacific Railroad tracks at a point known as Windsor. 1.7 miles (2.7 km) later, LA 138 intersects LA 554 (Perryville Road), which heads west to US 165 between Monroe and Bastrop. Here, the highway curves to the northeast and heads into Collinston.[2][3][4]

LA 138 runs through Collinston on Main Street, first curving due east, then making a zigzag at Keller Drive. Two blocks later, LA 138 reaches the UPRR tracks and turns to the north, passing by the city hall and museum. It then makes a second crossing over the UPRR and intersects LA 593 at the north end of town. While LA 593 heads northwest toward Bastrop, the parish seat, LA 138 curves to the northeast and soon begins to parallel the UPRR tracks. Heading through rural farmland once again, LA 138 intersects LA 3079 (Charles Dickerson Lane), a short connector to LA 593. 3.1 miles (5.0 km) later, LA 138 intersects LA 3051 (Grabault Road), another connection to Bastrop. Continuing northeast, LA 138 passes by a local school, followed by a succession of industrial plants just outside Mer Rouge.[2][3][4]

LA 138 enters Mer Rouge on South 14th Street, still running alongside the UPRR tracks. The route proceeds for 0.5 miles (0.80 km) before ending at an intersection with Davenport Avenue, the village's main street, which is part of US 165, US 425, and LA 2. From this intersection, the three highways proceed west concurrently into Bastrop and split toward Bonita (US 165 north), Oak Ridge (US 425 south), and Oak Grove (LA 2 east).[2][3][4]

The route is classified as a rural major collector by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD).[5] The posted speed limit is generally 55 mph (90 km/h) between points, reduced to 25 mph (40 km/h) through Collinston and 35 mph (55 km/h) through Mer Rouge. Average daily traffic volume in 2013 ranges between 770 and 940 vehicles from the southern terminus through Collinston. The segment between Collinston and Mer Rouge has a high count of 4,300 vehicles, falling off to 1,480 through Mer Rouge to the northern terminus.[5] LA 138 is an undivided two-lane highway for its entire length.[2]

History

Pre-1955 route numbering

In the original Louisiana Highway system in use between 1921 and 1955, the modern LA 138 was originally part of two separate state highways, State Route 47 and State Route C-1557.[6]

Southern section

State Route 47 followed the route from the southern terminus to the current junction with LA 593 in Collinston, where it turned northwest into Bastrop.[6] Route 47 was designated by an act of the state legislature in 1921,[7] but it was originally projected to follow a direct path from Oak Ridge to Collinston along the former Missouri Pacific Railroad line.[8] Once the road was actually constructed around 1935, its location had been changed to head west from Oak Ridge along the current route of LA 134 for 5.9 miles (9.5 km), then north along LA 138 into Collinston.[9][10] The route then remained the same until the 1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering.[6][10]

Northern section

State Route C-1557 marker

State Route C-1557

LocationMorehouse Parish
Length7.2 mi[6] (11.6 km)
Existedc1940–1955

In the original Louisiana Highway system, the northern section of LA 138 from Collinston to Mer Rouge was designated as State Route C-1557.[6] This route was a pre-existing highway that was added to the system around 1940,[11][12] and it remained the same until the 1955 renumbering.[6][12]

Post-1955 route history

LA 138 was created in the 1955 renumbering following the portion of former State Route 47 from a point west of Oak Ridge through Collinston, as well as the entirety of former State Route C-1557.[13]

La 138—From a junction with La 134 near Windsor through or near Collinston to a junction with La-US 165 at or near Mer Rouge.

— 1955 legislative route description[13]

The route of LA 138 has remained the same to the present day.[3][14] However, the northern terminus was originally a junction with US 165 and LA 2 only. In 2005, US 425 was extended south over existing highways from Bastrop to Natchez, Mississippi.[15] US 425 now runs concurrent with US 165 and LA 2 eastward into Mer Rouge, intersecting LA 138 immediately before turning south over the route of LA 133 toward Oak Ridge.[3]

Major intersections

The entire highway is in Morehouse Parish.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
​0.0000.000 LA 134 (Coulee Swamp Road) – Oak Ridge, MonroeSouthern terminus
​3.6765.916 LA 554 (Perryville Road)Eastern terminus of LA 554
Collinston5.526–
5.595		8.893–
9.004		 LA 593 (Collinston Road) – BastropSouthern terminus of LA 593
​7.10311.431 LA 3079 (Charles Dickerson Lane)Eastern terminus of LA 3079
​10.23716.475 LA 3051 (Grabault Road)To Horseshoe Lake
Mer Rouge12.74020.503
 US 165 south / US 425 / LA 2 (Davenport Avenue) – Bastrop, Oak Grove

 US 165 north (North 14th Street) – Bonita		Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "La DOTD GIS Data". Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. September 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Google (August 21, 2013). "Overview Map of LA 138" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). Morehouse Parish (West Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). District 05: Official Control Section Map, Construction and Maintenance (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  5. 1 2 "La DOTD GIS". Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Louisiana Department of Highways, Traffic and Planning Section (1947). Morehouse Parish (Map) (January 1, 1955 ed.). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Highways.
  7. ↑ "Act No. 95, House Bill No. 206". State-Times. Baton Rouge. November 29, 1921. p. 9.
  8. ↑ Louisiana Highway Commission, Photo-Map Department (April 1929). Morehouse Parish (Map) (c. June 1931 ed.). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Highway Commission.
  9. ↑ Rand McNally (1934). Texaco Road Map: Arkansas/Louisiana/Mississippi (Map) (Summer ed.). Texaco.
  10. 1 2 Louisiana Highway Commission; Hal M. Bourg (July 1, 1935). Official Road Map of Louisiana (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Highway Commission.
  11. ↑ Louisiana Highway Commission, Map Department (c. 1936). Morehouse Parish (Map) (c. 1937 ed.). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Highway Commission.
  12. 1 2 Louisiana Department of Highways; A. B. Ratcliff, Jr. (1941). Road Map of Louisiana (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Highways.
  13. 1 2 "Act No. 40, House Bill No. 311". State-Times. Baton Rouge. June 18, 1955. p. 3B.
  14. ↑ Louisiana Department of Highways, Traffic and Planning Section (1956). Morehouse Parish (Map) (January 1, 1958 ed.). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Highways.
  15. ↑ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 6, 2005). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
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