Louisiana State Route 1

Louisiana State Route 1 (LA 1) was one of the 98 original state highways that were established in 1924. It was signed for the Jefferson Highway, an auto trail that ran from New Orleans to Winnipeg. LA 1 curved through the entire state, spanning from Shreveport through Alexandria and Baton Rouge to New Orleans, ending south of Pointe a la Hache. It was renumbered for the most part as US 71 and US 171.

State Route 1
Route information
Length	452.71 mi (728.57 km)
Existed	1924–1955
Major junctions
South end	End state maintenance south of Pointe a la Hache
	SR 32 at Poydras SR 2 / SR 33 in New Orleans US 51 / SR 53 at Laplace US 71 / US 190 / SR 3 / SR 7 in Baton Rouge US 165 / SR 14 in Alexandria US 84 / SR 6 at Clarence US 171 / SR 42 at Mansfield US 79 / US 80 / SR 4 at Shreveport
North end	US 80 at Texas state line
Highway system
Louisiana Highway System Interstate US State Scenic

Route description

Beginning at a point on the Texas State Line, near Waskom, through Greenwood, Shreveport, Grand Cane, Mansfield, Sodus, Belmont, Marthaville, Robeline, Natchitoches, Montgomery, Colfax, ALexandria, Lecompte, Bunkie, Melville, Rosedale, Port Allen, Baton Rouge, Hope Villa, Burnside, Convent, Kenner, Shrewsbury, Protection Levee at South Claiborne Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, South Claiborne Avenue both sides to Canal Street, North Claiborne Avenue both sides to Poland Avenue, St. Claude Avenue, both sides to St. Bernard Parish Line, Mereaux, Violet, Poydras, Dalcour, Phoenix, Point-a-la-hache to Fort St. Philip. - 1924 Louisiana Legislative Route Description

Old LA 1 bridge near Colfax

Bridge on current LA 76 stamped with LA 1 for the old alignment

As the successor to the Jefferson Highway, LA 1 started a little further south than the Jefferson Highway, but was the same route, more or less. LA 1 began in Pointe-a-la-Hache, continuing north through small communities, making its way to New Orleans. The route description from New Orleans north is as follows:

From the southern terminus at Common Street, LA 1 followed St. Charles Avenue, Canal Street, City Park Avenue, and Metairie Road into Jefferson Parish. Leaving New Orleans, LA 1 followed Metairie Road, Shrewsbury Road, and Jefferson Highway to Kenner.

From Kenner to Geismar, LA 1 followed alongside the east bank levee of the Mississippi River which, due to various sections of levee being relocated during the 1920s and 1930s, is often a significant distance removed from the modern River Road. Also, a two-mile section between Norco and Montz was eliminated in 1935 when the parallel Airline Highway bridge across the Bonnet Carré Spillway was opened. Portions of LA 1 at Reserve and Gramercy are still known as Jefferson Highway to this day.

From Geismar to Baton Rouge, the route followed what is known as Old Jefferson Highway to downtown Baton Rouge. The original routing through downtown Baton Rouge followed Claycut Road, South Acadian Thruway, Government Street, 19th Street, and North Street to the former Mississippi River ferry landing to Port Allen.

From Port Allen to Alexandria, LA 1 used Court Street, North Jefferson Avenue, and Rosedale Road through Port Allen, then along Rosedale Road to Rosedale, Ravenswood, and then to Red Cross. LA 1 crossed the Atchafalaya River by ferry to Melville and continued on to Lebeau. It used the current route of US 71 to Bunkie, with a short section over a one-lane truss bridge that was bypassed in the mid-1930s. North of Cheneyville, it used US 71 and parts of some bypassed roads to Chambers, then Old Baton Rouge Highway to Alexandria.

In Alexandria and Pineville, LA 1 used Jefferson Hwy., Lee Street, Main Street, and Murray Street through Alexandria, then LA 1 crossed the Red River on a now-demolished bridge at the foot of Murray Street into Pineville, then Main Street and Military Highway, Jefferson Highway, and US 71 (Shreveport Highway) through Pineville.

North of Pineville, LA 1 used US 71 and Shreveport Highway. (Stainaker Street is a small, severed portion of the original route near the junction of US 71 and LA 3225.) Numerous curves were straightened along the route, including a bypassed route through Colfax. North of Colfax, LA 1 followed US 71 north to Clarence, then over on LA 6 to Robeline, then on LA 1 to Belmont, via Old Jefferson Road north of Pelican) to Mansfield, following Old Jefferson Highway into town.

US 171 carried LA 1 to Shreveport, via Old Jefferson Road through Stonewall and Old Mansfield Road through Keithville. Once through Shreveport, LA 1 used US 79-US 80 (Greenwood Road) to Greenwood Road, then US 80 (Texas Avenue) across the state line toward Waskom, Texas.

Major intersections (Poydras to Melville)

Parish	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Plaquemines	​	0.0	0.0	End state maintenance	Southern terminus
	Pointe à la Hache	4.7	7.6	Free ferry to SR 31	Southernmost ferry on Mississippi River
Saint Bernard	Poydras	38.1	61.3	SR 32	To Shell Beach; LA 62
	Chalmette	44.2	71.1	SR 61	To US 90
Orleans	New Orleans	50.6	81.4	US 61 / US 90 / SR 2 east	End of US 61
		51.8	83.4	SR 2 west
Jefferson	Metairie	58.5	94.1	US 90 west	Via Huey P. Long Bridge
Saint Charles	Destrehan	72.4	116.5	Free ferry to SR 30
	Norco	78.9	127.0	Break in highway for Bonnet Carré Spillway	Detour north to US 61
Saint John the Baptist	Laplace	83.7	134.7	US 51 / SR 53 to SR 33	Follow US 51 to LA 33
Saint James	Gramercy	98.5	158.5	Toll ferry to SR 30	Ferry to Vacherie
Ascension	​	119.7	192.6	SR 54
	Burnside	120.6	194.1	SR 88 – Gonzales
	Darrow	124.4	200.2	Toll ferry to SR 77	Ferry to Donaldsonville
	Geismar	133.1	214.2	SR 63 – Carville
	Dutchtown	136.5	219.7	SR 46 – Gonzales
	Prairieville	141.2	227.2	US 61 (Airline Highway)
		142.4	229.2	SR 87 – Port Vincent
East Baton Rouge	​	149.8	241.1	US 61 (Airline Highway) – Gonzales	US 61 splits to south
	​	150.9	242.9	US 61 (Airline Highway) – Baton Rouge	US 61 splits to north
	Baton Rouge	153.4	246.9	SR 7-D (Old Hammond Highway)
		158.8	255.6	SR 63 (Nicholson Drive)
		160.0	257.5	US 61 (Florida Blvd.) / US 190 / SR 7
		160.2	257.8	SR 37 (Florida Blvd.)
		160.4	258.1	Toll ferry to SR 30	Ferry to Port Allen
West Baton Rouge	Port Allen	160.8	258.8	SR 30 – Plaquemine
	​	164.2	264.3	SR 30 – New Roads
	​	172.7	277.9	SR 73 (Poydras Bayou Rd.) – New Roads
Iberville	Rosedale	177.7	286.0	SR 65 – Grosse Tete	To Plaquemine
Pointe Coupee	Livonia	189.1	304.3	SR 7 – Krotz Springs	Orphaned segment of LA 7
		189.3	304.6	US 190 (Airline Highway)
	​	203.2	327.0	SR 41 – Morganza	Entering Morganza Spillway
	​	207.8	334.4	Free ferry	Ferry to Melville
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Major intersections (Melville to Natchitoches)

Parish	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Saint Landry	​	222.4	357.9	US 71 / SR 27 – Washington	US 71 South to US 190
	​	231.9	373.2	SR 92 – Ville Platte
Avoyelles	Bunkie	242.0	389.5	SR 5 south – Opelousas
		242.2	389.8	SR 5 north – Marksville
		242.8	390.7	SR 1-D
Rapides	Meeker	255.9	411.8	US 167 / SR 26 – Ville Platte
	Lecompte	258.8	416.5	SR 24 – Forest Hill
	​	265.2	426.8	SR 1-D
	Alexandria	271.8	437.4	SR 14 (Lee Street)	Begin business US 71-167
		273.1	439.5	US 165 south – Lake Charles
		275.1	442.7	SR 21
		276.1	444.3	SR 20	End business US 71-167
	Pineville	279.1	449.2	US 165 north / SR 5 south / SR 14-D
	​	285.5	459.5	US 167 north – Winnfield, Ruston
Grant	​	299.8	482.5	SR 19 – Colfax, Pollock
	​	305.3	491.3	SR 5 north – Winnfield	Old alignment of US 167
Natchitoches	Clarence	327.7	527.4	SR 1-D
		331.5	533.5	US 84 / SR 6 / SR 10 – Coushatta, Winnfield
	​	334.4	538.2	SR 10-D – Campti
	Natchitoches	339.0	545.6	SR 20 – Shreveport, Alexandria
	​	348.2	560.4	SR 39 – Leesville
	Robeline	354.6	570.7	SR 6 west / SR 75 – Many, Provencal
Sabine	Belmont	369.4	594.5	SR 51 – Many
Desoto	Mansfield	397.4	639.6	US 84 east / SR 9 east – Coushatta
		398.3	641.0	US 84 east / US 171 / SR 9 east to SR 42 – Coushatta, Leesville
	Gloster	413.6	665.6	SR 38 – Longstreet
Caddo	Shreveport	435.0	700.1	US 79 / US 80 / SR 4
	Greenwood	447.8	720.7	US 79
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

• Louisiana Maps from 1955