# Louisiana Highway 16

Louisiana Highway 16 (LA 16) is a state highway located in southeastern Louisiana. It runs 110.27 miles (177.46 km) in a general east–west direction from LA 22 south of French Settlement to LA 21 in Sun.
The route makes a wide arc through the Florida Parishes region of the state, traveling east of Baton Rouge and avoiding the urban centers of Hammond and Covington. However, it passes through a number of the area's smaller towns and communities, such as Denham Springs, Montpelier, Amite City, and Franklinton. Some but not all of the signage south of Watson still bears north–south directionals rather than the standard east–west. Major junctions along the route include U.S. Highway 190 (US 190) in Denham Springs and Interstate 55 (I-55) in Amite City.
LA 16 was designated in the 1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering, stitched together from six shorter former routes, including State Route 131 south of Denham Springs; State Route 103 between Watson and Amite City; and State Route 35 between Amite City and Franklinton.

## Route description

From the west, LA 16 begins at a roundabout with LA 22 just west of Head of Island near the southern tip of Livingston Parish. After crossing the Amite River, the highway parallels the east bank of the river through the adjacent communities of French Settlement and Port Vincent, where it has a brief concurrency with LA 42. Continuing northeast, LA 16 follows Pete's Highway across I-12 and into the city of Denham Springs but does not intersect the interstate. Access is instead provided via the parallel LA 3002 (South Range Avenue). In the center of town, LA 16 makes a jog west along US 190 (Florida Avenue) before resuming its northward course. Heading due north from Denham Springs, LA 16 intersects LA 64 near Plainview and proceeds into Watson, where the route's directional banners change from north–south to east–west. Just before crossing into St. Helena Parish, LA 16 begins a concurrency with LA 63 at Weiss.
In St. Helena Parish, LA 16 begins an eastward trajectory away from the Amite River and splits from LA 63. The highway travels through Pine Grove and into the village of Montpelier, where it crosses the Tickfaw River and has a short concurrency with both LA 43 and LA 441. Shortly after crossing into Tangipahoa Parish, LA 16 enters Amite City and passes through an interchange with I-55 at exit 46, connecting with Hammond and Jackson, Mississippi. LA 16 proceeds through the downtown area and crosses both US 51 (Central Avenue) and the Canadian National Railway (CN) tracks at grade. East of Amite City, LA 16 crosses the Tangipahoa River and proceeds toward Washington Parish via Holton.
After crossing the Tchefuncte River into Washington Parish, LA 16 curves to the northeast and makes a loop through the city of Franklinton. This portion of the route overlaps both LA 10 and LA 25 and contains a bridge spanning the Bogue Chitto River that leads onto Washington Street, the city's main east–west thoroughfare. LA 16 turns south from Washington Street onto Main Street and separates from LA 10 and LA 25. South of town, LA 16 parallels the Bogue Chitto River and travels southeastward through Enon, where it intersects LA 60. Near the end of its route, LA 16 enters the northeast corner of St. Tammany Parish and curves due east into the village of Sun. Here, it reaches its eastern terminus at a junction with LA 21, connecting with Bush to the south and Bogalusa to the north.

## History

In the original Louisiana Highway system in use between 1921 and 1955, LA 16 was part of several different routes, including State Route 331 from the western terminus to Port Vincent; State Route 131 to Denham Springs; State Route 337 to Watson; State Route 103 to Amite City; State Route 35 to Franklinton; and State Route 469 to Sun. These highways were joined under the single designation of LA 16 when the Louisiana Department of Highways renumbered the state highway system in 1955.
   La 16—From a junction with La 22 south of French Settlement through or near Port Vincent, Denham Springs, Pine Grove and Amite to a junction with La 25 at or near Franklinton and from a junction with La 10 at or near Franklinton through or near Enon to a junction with La 21 at or near Sun.
Despite its length, the alignment of LA 16 has remained virtually the same since the 1955 renumbering. Alterations to the route have been limited to the smoothing of some curves, the replacement of bridges, and the addition of lanes in urban areas.
In 2008, an approximately 3–4-mile (4.8–6.4 km) stretch of LA 16 in the Denham Springs and Watson areas was widened from two to four lanes. This was in response to the large amount of daily traffic the area experienced in the past decade. (Watson was at one time in the early 2000s the largest growing area in the state of Louisiana).

## Future

La DOTD is currently engaged in a program that aims to transfer about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of state-owned roadways to local governments over the next several years. Under this plan of "right-sizing" the state highway system, the portion of LA 16 that follows Pete's Highway on the south side of Denham Springs is proposed for deletion in favor of the parallel LA 3002 as it no longer meets a significant interurban travel function.

## Major intersections

| Parish | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Livingston | ​ | 0.000 | 0.000 | LA 22 – Sorrento, Springfield | Western terminus |
| Livingston | French Settlement | 1.171– 1.347 | 1.885– 2.168 | Bridge over Amite River | Bridge over Amite River |
| Livingston | French Settlement | 3.018 | 4.857 | LA 444 east | Western terminus of LA 444 |
| Livingston | French Settlement | 5.416 | 8.716 | LA 42 east – Springfield | South end of LA 42 concurrency |
| Livingston | Port Vincent | 8.571 | 13.794 | LA 42 west – Gonzales | North end of LA 42 concurrency |
| Livingston | Port Vincent | 10.445 | 16.810 | LA 447 north (Walker South Road) to I-12 – Walker | Southern terminus of LA 447 |
| Livingston | ​ | 12.151 | 19.555 | LA 1032 north | Southern terminus of LA 1032 |
| Livingston | ​ | 15.327 | 24.666 | LA 1033 west | Eastern terminus of LA 1033 |
| Livingston | ​ | 17.877 | 28.770 | LA 1026 north (Juban Road) to I-12 | Southern terminus of LA 1026 |
| Livingston | ​ | 19.871 | 31.979 | LA 1034 west (Vincent Road) | Eastern terminus of LA 1034 |
| Livingston | Denham Springs | 21.072 | 33.912 | LA 3003 west (Rushing Road) | Eastern terminus of LA 3003 |
| Livingston | Denham Springs | 22.818 | 36.722 | US 190 east (Florida Avenue) – Walker LA 1031 north (Hatchell Lane) | South end of US 190 concurrency |
| Livingston | Denham Springs | 23.648 | 38.058 | US 190 west (Florida Avenue) – Baton Rouge LA 3002 south (South Range Avenue) to I-12 | Northern terminus of LA 3002; north end of US 190 concurrency |
| Livingston | ​ | 25.527 | 41.082 | LA 1028 west (Old River Road) | Eastern terminus of LA 1028 |
| Livingston | ​ | 26.833 | 43.184 | LA 64 west (Magnolia Beach Road) – Greenwell Springs LA 1026 east (Lockhart Road) | Eastern terminus of LA 64; western terminus of LA 1026 |
| Livingston | ​ | 27.452 | 44.180 | LA 1025 east (Arnold Road) | Western terminus of LA 1025 |
| Livingston | ​ | 28.441 | 45.771 | LA 1024 west (Hunstock Road) | South end of LA 1024 concurrency |
| Livingston | ​ | 29.148 | 46.909 | LA 1024 east (Cane Market Road) | North end of LA 1024 concurrency |
| Livingston | Watson | 30.016 | 48.306 | LA 1019 | |
| Livingston | ​ | 32.683 | 52.598 | LA 1022 south (Fore Road) | Northern terminus of LA 1022 |
| Livingston | Weiss | 36.119 | 58.128 | LA 63 south (Weiss Road) – Livingston | West end of LA 63 concurrency |
| St. Helena | ​ | 42.407 | 68.247 | LA 63 north – Clinton | East end of LA 63 concurrency |
| St. Helena | Pine Grove | 46.484 | 74.809 | LA 449 south | West end of LA 449 concurrency |
| St. Helena | Pine Grove | 46.546 | 74.909 | LA 449 north – Greensburg LA 1041 south | Northern terminus of LA 1041; east end of LA 449 concurrency |
| St. Helena | Montpelier | 52.988 | 85.276 | LA 441 south | West end of LA 441 concurrency |
| St. Helena | Montpelier | 53.137 | 85.516 | LA 43 north – Greensburg | West end of LA 43 concurrency |
| St. Helena | Montpelier | 53.465– 53.635 | 86.044– 86.317 | Bridge over Tickfaw River | Bridge over Tickfaw River |
| St. Helena | ​ | 55.050 | 88.594 | LA 43 south – Albany LA 441 north | East end of LA 43 and LA 441 concurrencies |
| Tangipahoa | ​ | 60.312– 60.356 | 97.063– 97.134 | LA 1045 north | Eastern terminus of LA 1045 |
| Tangipahoa | Amite City | 60.803– 60.938 | 97.853– 98.070 | I-55 – Hammond, Jackson | Exit 46 on I-55 |
| Tangipahoa | Amite City | 62.285 | 100.238 | US 51 (Central Avenue) – Hammond, Kentwood | |
| Tangipahoa | ​ | 63.744– 63.811 | 102.586– 102.694 | Bridge over Tangipahoa River | Bridge over Tangipahoa River |
| Tangipahoa | ​ | 64.325 | 103.521 | LA 1054 north | West end of LA 1054 concurrency |
| Tangipahoa | ​ | 65.500 | 105.412 | LA 1054 south | East end of LA 1054 concurrency |
| Tangipahoa | Holton | 71.329 | 114.793 | LA 445 south | Northern terminus of LA 445 |
| Tangipahoa–Washington parish line | ​ | 77.333– 77.402 | 124.455– 124.566 | Bridge over Tchefuncte River | Bridge over Tchefuncte River |
| Washington | ​ | 78.300 | 126.012 | LA 450 | |
| Washington | ​ | 84.514 | 136.012 | LA 25 south – Folsom, Covington | West end of LA 25 concurrency; to Bogue Chitto State Park |
| Washington | ​ | 85.744 | 137.992 | LA 10 west – Wilmer | West end of LA 10 concurrency |
| Washington | Franklinton | 86.386– 86.636 | 139.025– 139.427 | Bridge over Bogue Chitto River | Bridge over Bogue Chitto River |
| Washington | Franklinton | 86.914 | 139.875 | LA 10 east (Washington Street) – Bogalusa LA 25 north (Main Street) – Tylertown | East end of LA 10 and LA 25 concurrencies |
| Washington | ​ | 88.471 | 142.380 | LA 1072 east | Western terminus of LA 1072; to Franklinton Airport |
| Washington | Enon | 96.751 | 155.706 | LA 437 south | Northern terminus of LA 437 |
| Washington | Enon | 97.414 | 156.773 | LA 60 east – Bogalusa | Western terminus of LA 60 |
| Washington | ​ | 100.617 | 161.927 | LA 1073 north | Southern terminus of LA 1073 |
| Washington | ​ | 104.657 | 168.429 | LA 1074 east | Western terminus of LA 1074 |
| St. Tammany | Sun | 110.272 | 177.466 | LA 21 – Bush, Bogalusa | Eastern terminus |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus ||||||