ST. TAMMANY PARISH, LA — Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) Secretary Glenn Ledet joined state and local leaders at a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the $56.2 million I-12 widening project between LA 21 and LA 1077 in St. Tammany Parish.
"This project reflects two fundamental priorities for DOTD: safety and efficiency,” Ledet said. "Thanks to Governor Landry’s leadership and our coordinated teamwork, we completed this project several months ahead of schedule. Proudly, we now have a highway that fulfills both our current needs and future demands, and travelers can experience the added capacity that has been much needed."
The 3.5 miles of expanded lanes were initially expected to be finished by spring 2026, but minimal delays due to dry weather and favorable working conditions enabled an earlier opening.
“Thriving communities like ours have growing infrastructure needs, and I continue to be grateful for my colleagues in Baton Rouge and our federal delegation for supporting our growth here in St. Tammany,” State Senator Patrick McMath said. “I-12 is a vital corridor for interstate commerce, and I will continue to fight for its expansion from Baton Rouge to Slidell.”
With the completion of this project, the I-12 corridor has been widened to at least six lanes across the greater Mandeville/Covington area — from LA 59 to LA 1077 — in three phases, totaling $170 million.
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Over 100,000 vehicles travel through the project area each day, an increase from 81,500 in 2018 and 68,000 in 2012. About 80 percent of that traffic continues toward Hammond or Slidell, Louisiana.
Phase one of the project widened 3 miles of pavement surface from U.S. 190 to LA 59 at a cost of $54.1 million. Lanes were widened into the median, resurfaced, and striped. The project also widened the bridges over U.S. 190, the Ponchitolawa Creek, and the Tammany Trace bike path. Phase one was completed in 2023.
The project's second phase included the same reconstruction elements as phase one along 3.4 miles of I-12 from U.S. 190 west to LA 21. It was finished in late 2023 at a cost of $59.1 million.
DOTD anticipates that daily vehicle numbers could rise by as much as 40,000 by 2036. The expansion projects are designed to accommodate that growth.
