Lake Charles, La. is located near the
border of Texas along the Interstate
10 (I-10) corridor. The Louisiana
Department of Transportation and Development
(LADOTD) has identified several
major projects along this corridor to
relieve transportation congestion associated
with the booming economy driven by heavy
industry, an attractive natural environment,
proximity to the coast and tourism. When
a developer wanted to invest in the Lake
Charles area by constructing a new casino,
it was obvious the challenging traffic would
be exacerbated along Interstate 210 (I-210),
a bypass of I-10. The nearest intersection to
the casino development was not sufficient
to accommodate the anticipated increase in
traffic, so a new interchange was required.
In addition to the variability in soil conditions
at the site, LADOTD needed to
complete the project in two years, which is
approximately two times faster than the normal
time allowed for such a project. To meet
these challenges, the project team mobilized
six different drill rigs for subsurface
explorations and staff from offices across
the country to meet the schedule requirements.
GeoEngineers completed engineering
analyses and provided design and construction
recommendations for about 8,000
driven piles, mechanically stabilized earth
(MSE) walls and wick-drain/surcharge
design to reduce post-construction embankment
settlement, in accordance with the
American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) Load
and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) specifications
for highway bridges.
The project created the required interchange
at I-210 and Cove Lane and a roundabout,
as well as extending Cove Lane to connect
with a new public roadway running parallel
to I-210 and leading to the new Golden
Nugget Casino. The project was funded
by an intergovernmental cooperative agreement
between LADOTD, the Port of Lake
Charles, Pinnacle Entertainment and others.
In addition, the I-210 mainline was elevated
Photos courtesy of GeoEngineers
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Traffic Jam
GeoEngineers worked on the I-210 Cove Lane Interchange
project in order to improve casino access
By Kylee Lewis, GeoEngineers
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