U.S. Route 171

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U.S. Highway 171 marker

U.S. Highway 171

Purple Heart Highway
Route of US 171 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 71
Maintained by Louisiana DOTD
Length177.441 mi[1] (285.564 km)
Existed1926–present
Tourist
routes
Major junctions
South end US 90 / LA 14 in Lake Charles
Major intersections
North end US 79 / US 80 / LA 3094 in Shreveport
Location
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishesCalcasieu, Beauregard, Vernon, Sabine, DeSoto, Caddo
Highway system
  • Louisiana State Highway System
← LA 170→ LA 172

U.S. Highway 171 (US 171) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System and the only route within that system currently located entirely within the state of Louisiana. It spans 177.44 miles (285.56 km)[1][a] in a north–south direction from the junction of US 90 and Louisiana Highway 14 (LA 14) in Lake Charles to the junction of US 79/US 80 and LA 3094 in Shreveport.

Route description

Lake Charles to Leesville

From the south, US 171 begins at a junction with US 90 (Fruge Street) in Lake Charles, the largest city in Calcasieu Parish and southwestern Louisiana. Traveling about 2.0 miles (3.2 km) east of the downtown area, US 171 continues the route of LA 14 northward along Martin Luther King Highway, initially as a divided four-lane highway. After immediately crossing over the BNSF and Union Pacific (UP) railroad lines, US 171 passes through a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-10 at exit 33, connecting with Beaumont, Texas to the west and Lafayette to the east.[b] The highway gains a center turning lane and an additional northbound travel lane throughout the commercial corridor north of the interstate. Upon exiting Lake Charles, US 171 traverses a strip of wetlands with twin-span bridges over two navigable waterways, English Bayou and the Calcasieu River. After crossing the latter, the roadway remains elevated until reaching the unincorporated suburb of Moss Bluff. A junction here with LA 378 (Sam Houston Jones Parkway) leads west to Sam Houston Jones State Park and the nearby city of Westlake. US 171 maintains a combination of single and double center lanes through Moss Bluff. As the surroundings become less developed, the right-of-way widens to accommodate a broad, grassy median.[3][4][5]

North of Moss Bluff, a rural area known as Gillis introduces a mixture of open farmland, thick forest, and scattered residential development that characterizes the next 34 miles (55 km) to the city of DeRidder. During this stretch, US 171 enters Beauregard Parish and engages in a folded diamond interchange with US 190 and LA 12 that allows a grade separation with the Union Pacific Railroad line. Located in Ragley, the landscaped eastern side of the interchange doubles as a recreational area known as Purple Heart Memorial Park, echoing the official designation of US 171 as the Purple Heart Highway. US 171 proceeds due north from Ragley co-signed with US 190 through the community of Longville, located at the eastern terminus of LA 110, and enters the outskirts of DeRidder. Approaching the city limits, US 171 and US 190 pass the western termini of three rural state highways. The first, LA 394 leads to a recreational area on Bundick Lake. The others, LA 26 and LA 112, connect to Oberlin and Oakdale in neighboring Allen Parish.[3][4][5][6]

Curving west into the parish seat, US 171 serves as DeRidder's main east–west commercial thoroughfare. Initially traveling along 1st Street with a center turning lane, the route divides into a one-way pair as westbound traffic transitions onto Mahlon Street. The highway then crosses the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) line into the downtown area, where it passes several historic buildings over the next few blocks. These include the Beauregard Parish Courthouse and an infamous Gothic structure known as the Hanging jail. US 171 ends its concurrency with US 190 by turning north onto Pine Street, an undivided four-lane thoroughfare. From this intersection, LA 27 heads south on Pine Street toward DeQuincy while US 190 continues west on the one-way pair of 1st and Shirley Streets toward Merryville. US 171 remains a commercial corridor until it crosses the Vernon Parish line, reverting to its rural configuration as it closely parallels the KCS rail line.[3][5][6] DeRidder is separated by the small town of Rosepine by a short distance, during which an intersection with LA 3226 allows southbound traffic to bypass the city en route to US 190 west. At a point known as Pickering, located 7.7 miles (12.4 km) north of Rosepine, US 171 intersects LA 10, the first of several connections to the United States Army installation at Fort Polk. Passing to the west of the base, the highway continues through New Llano and into the larger adjacent city of Leesville.[3][7][8]

Leesville to Mansfield

In Leesville, US 171 becomes a busy commercial corridor again, initially traveling along 5th Street's narrow four-lane right-of-way. Another one-way pair is then utilized as the parallel 6th Street begins to carry southbound traffic. In the center of town, three state highway junctions are encountered in the space of a few blocks: LA 467 (University Parkway) to Northwestern State University's Fort Polk campus; LA 468 (Lula Street) to the historic business district; and westbound LA 8 (Nolan Trace Parkway) toward Jasper, Texas. US 171 proceeds north concurrent with LA 8 and descends below grade to cross under the KCS railroad line. Curving to the northwest, the highway's travel lanes converge as it approaches a roundabout. Here, at the northern end of town, LA 8 departs to the east and travels concurrently with LA 28 toward Alexandria, the principal city of central Louisiana. During its remaining 15.4 miles (24.8 km) in Vernon Parish, US 171 crosses the northeastern tip of Vernon Lake[c] and passes through the rural towns of Anacoco and Hornbeck. Junctions there with LA 111 and LA 392, respectively, lead to points along the vast Toledo Bend Reservoir located on the Texas state line.[3][7][8]

US 171 enters Sabine Parish winding gently through the rural hilly woodlands while passing the entrance to Hodges Gardens State Park, the largest horticultural park in the United States. The route proceeds through the village of Florien, where a Boise Cascade lumber plant is located, and into Fisher, its smaller neighbor. US 171 then curves northwest and enters the town of Many, the parish seat. Cutting a serpentine path through the street grid outside the downtown area, the highway crosses LA 6 (San Antonio Avenue), which follows a section of the historic Old San Antonio Road (or El Camino Real) between San Antonio, Texas and Natchitoches, Louisiana. Regaining its wide rural right-of-way, US 171 intersects the southern terminus of LA 175, leading to Belmont and Pleasant Hill. US 171 makes a bee-line to the northwest over the 8.8 miles (14.2 km) between Many and Zwolle. Served by the highway's only business route, Zwolle is bypassed by mainline US 171, which travels around its east and north sides, intersecting LA 120 in the process. Signage also directs motorists onto US 171 Bus. to access North Toledo Bend State Park. US 171 comes closest to reaching the Toledo Bend Reservoir at Zwolle and the neighboring village of Noble. [3][8][9][10]

After crossing over the KCS Railway at Noble, US 171 curves back to the north and intersects LA 174 in the village of Converse. Closely following the rail line once again, US 171 crosses into DeSoto Parish just south of Benson, a point located at an intersection with LA 512. 5.0 miles (8.0 km) later, the highway makes an S-curve across the KCS line on a high twin-span overpass before proceeding due north into South Mansfield, a small village connected to the city of Mansfield, the parish seat. In Mansfield proper, US 171 follows Jenkins Street and intersects US 84 at Washington Avenue, connecting with Logansport to the west. US 84 overlaps US 171 for a short distance until reaching Polk Street, while the bypassed original mainline route follows the continuation of Washington Avenue signed as US 84 Bus. At Polk Street, signage points motorists onto eastbound US 84 toward the Mansfield State Historic Site, a Civil War battlefield, as well as the former Mansfield Female College, the first institution of higher learning for women west of the Mississippi River. US 84 also leads eastward to an interchange with I-49.[3][11][12][13]

Shreveport metropolitan area

As it enters the Shreveport metropolitan area, US 171 begins to approach and eventually parallel the route of I-49, the state's major north–south highway. After curving northwest out of Mansfield, US 171 passes the DeSoto Parish Airport and heads through Grand Cane, located at a junction with LA 3015. 5.0 miles (8.0 km) later, the highway bends due north again and then crosses LA 5 at a junction in Gloster known as Kickapoo. Just before crossing into Caddo Parish, US 171 passes through the town of Stonewall and intersects LA 3276, a connector to I-49. Across the parish line, US 171 crosses underneath the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in the unincorporated community of Keithville. Residential development gradually increases as the highway parallels the UPRR line toward the Shreveport city limits.[3][13][14]

US 171 enters Shreveport on Mansfield Road and retains its wide median as it becomes a heavily traveled commercial corridor once again. The highway has junctions with LA 525 (Colquitt Road), as well as LA 526, a major thoroughfare along the south side of town called the Bert Kouns Industrial Loop Expressway. Larger shopping developments line the roadway as US 171 approaches an interchange with LA 3132 (Terry Bradshaw Passway), a freeway loop commonly known as the Inner Loop Expressway. LA 3132 compliments the I-220 northern bypass of Shreveport and connects to major interchanges with I-20 to the northwest and I-49 to the east. Some movements between US 171 and LA 3132 are accomplished through a connected interchange with Jewella Avenue, a divided thoroughfare that branches off of Mansfield Road.[3][13][14]

Proceeding northward, US 171 crosses over the UPRR line for the final time and intersects LA 511 (West 70th Street). The highway immediately branches off of Mansfield Road itself, transferring onto Hearne Avenue. Its median now replaced by a center turning lane, US 171 travels through a primarily residential neighborhood until passing through a diamond interchange with I-20 at exit 16A. This interchange is located at the edge of the State Fair Grounds, an area which also houses the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum and three sports facilities—Independence Stadium, the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum, and a baseball stadium. US 171 reaches its northern terminus a short distance beyond I-20 at a junction with the concurrent US 79/US 80 (Greenwood Road). Hearne Avenue continues straight ahead as LA 3094 toward a junction with northbound US 71/LA 1 just outside Downtown Shreveport.[3][13][14]

Route classification and data

US 171 is a four-lane highway for nearly its entire length. It alternates between a rural and urban principal arterial over the course of its route, as determined by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD). Daily traffic volume in 2013 peaked at 37,700 vehicles in Shreveport and 29,800 in Lake Charles. The lowest figure reported was 2,200 vehicles north of Hornbeck in southern Sabine Parish.[15] The posted speed limit ranges from 65 mph (105 km/h)* throughout most divided rural stretches to as low as 35 mph (55 km/h)* within some corporate limits.[3]

Since 2003, virtually the entire route of US 171 has been officially designated as the Purple Heart Highway in recognition of all Purple Heart recipients. The only exceptions are a short portion in Lake Charles previously named for Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1982 and another in Rosepine named for former mayor Johnnie B. Hall in 1997.[16] Additionally, a 16.7-mile (26.9 km) stretch of US 171, extending from LA 26 south of DeRidder to LA 10 south of Leesville, serves as part of the Myths and Legends Byway in the state-designated system of tourist routes known as the Louisiana Scenic Byways.[17]

History

US 171 began as a major two-lane highway. In 1962, I-210 was completed, and funds were appropriated for the highway to become four-laned. In the mid-1960s, the old iron bridge over the Calcasieu River, north of Lake Charles, was replaced and the highway was altered for the new bridge and portion of highway going into Moss Bluff. US 171 was designated a Blue Star Memorial Highway on Nov.11, 1964, and a highway marker was placed in the historic district at the junction with Washington street.[18] The TIMED Program widening of US 171 completed in July 2010 and it is now a four-lane divided highway for its entire rural existence.

Major intersections

ParishLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
CalcasieuLake Charles0.000–
0.022		0.000–
0.035
 US 90 (Fruge Street) to I-10 – Beaumont, Lafayette

 LA 14 south (Martin L. King Highway) – Cameron		Southern terminus of US 171; western terminus of LA 14
0.5090.819


 LA 3020 east (Opelousas Street) to I-10 west		Western terminus of LA 3020
0.622–
0.998		1.001–
1.606		 I-10 – Beaumont, LafayetteExit 33 on I-10; no access from US 171 north to I-10 west
2.467–
2.654		3.970–
4.271		Bridge over English Bayou
​2.8734.624
 LA 3059 east (Old Town Road)		Western terminus of LA 3059
Moss Bluff3.362–
4.448		5.411–
7.158		Bridge over Calcasieu River
4.7207.596
 LA 378 west (Sam Houston Jones Parkway) – Westlake		Northeastern terminus of LA 378; to Sam Houston Jones State Park
BeauregardRagley20.095–
20.592		32.340–
33.140
 US 190 east – Kinder

 LA 12 west – DeQuincy		Interchange; southern end of US 190 concurrency; eastern terminus of LA 12
Longville26.62242.844
 LA 110 west – Singer, Merryville		Eastern terminus of LA 110
​39.07562.885
 LA 394 east – Bundick Lake, Dry Creek		Western terminus of LA 394
​41.759–
41.850		67.205–
67.351
 LA 26 east – Oberlin		Western terminus of LA 26
​43.27069.636
 LA 112 east – Oakdale		Western terminus of LA 112
DeRidder45.58973.368
 US 190 west (Shirley Street, West 1st Street) – Merryville

 LA 27 south (South Pine Street) – DeQuincy		Northern end of US 190 concurrency (one-way pair); northern terminus of LA 27; to Beauregard Regional Airport
Vernon​49.33079.389


 LA 3226 west to US 190 west		Eastern terminus of LA 3226
Rosepine50.69181.579
 LA 1146 east (Ikes Road)		Western terminus of LA 1146
Pickering58.42694.028
 LA 10 east (Pitkin Highway) – Cravens, Pitkin		Western terminus of LA 10; to Fort Polk South Gates
New Llano64.323103.518
 LA 1211 south (Vernon Street)		Northern terminus of LA 1211
Leesville65.971106.170
 LA 467 south (University Parkway)		Northern terminus of LA 467; to Northwestern State University at Fort Polk
66.391106.846
 LA 468 east (East Lula Street) – Leesville Business District		Western terminus of LA 468
66.485106.997
 LA 8 west (Nolan Trace Parkway) – Jasper		Southern end of LA 8 concurrency; to Leesville Airport
67.217–
67.317		108.175–
108.336
 LA 1213 north (Kurthwood Road)		Southern terminus of LA 1213
67.622–
67.761		108.827–
109.051

 LA 8 east / LA 28 east (Alexandria Highway) – Alexandria		Roundabout; northern end of LA 8 concurrency; western terminus of LA 28
Anacoco75.718121.856 LA 111 (Port Arthur Avenue) – Burr Ferry, BurkevilleTo Toledo Bend Dam
Hornbeck82.233132.341 LA 392 (Port Arthur Avenue)To South Toledo Bend State Park
SabineFlorien91.312146.952
 LA 474 west (West Port Arthur Avenue)		Eastern terminus of LA 474
92.553148.950
 LA 118 east (Louisiana Maneuvers Highway) – Kisatchie		Western terminus of LA 118
Many100.950162.463 LA 6 (San Antonio Avenue) – Natchitoches, Milam
101.922164.028
 LA 175 north – Belmont, Pleasant Hill		Southern terminus of LA 175
​109.838176.767

 US 171 Bus. north (North Main Street) – Zwolle, Toledo Bend		Southern terminus of US 171 Bus.; to North Toledo Bend State Park
Zwolle110.470177.784
 LA 1216 east (Gay Street)		Western terminus of LA 1216
110.982178.608
 LA 120 east (Oak Street) – Belmont, Robeline		Western terminus of LA 120
112.543181.120

 US 171 Bus. south (Obrie Street) – Zwolle, Toledo Bend		Northern terminus of US 171 Bus.; to North Toledo Bend State Park
Noble115.844186.433
 LA 1218 west		Eastern terminus of LA 1218
116.146186.919
 LA 483 north		Southern terminus of LA 483
Converse123.224198.310 LA 174 (Port Arthur Avenue) – Pleasant Hill
DeSotoBenson129.235207.984
 LA 512 east		Western terminus of LA 512
Mansfield140.926226.798


 US 84 west / US 84 Bus. east (Washington Avenue) – Logansport		Southern end of US 84 concurrency; western terminus of US 84 Bus.
141.556227.812

 US 84 east (Polk Street) to I-49 – Coushatta		Northern end of US 84 concurrency; to Mansfield SCA Civil War Area and Mansfield Female College Museum
Grand Cane148.416238.852 LA 3015 (Holly Street, Shelby Street) – Longstreet
Gloster156.340251.605 LA 5 – Gloster, KeachiLocation also known as Kickapoo
Stonewall162.739261.903

 LA 3276 east (Stonewall-Frierson Road) to I-49		Western terminus of LA 3276
CaddoShreveport170.863274.977
 LA 525 south (Colquitt Road) – Spring Ridge		Northern terminus of LA 525
171.380–
171.428		275.809–
275.887		 LA 526 (Bert Kouns Industrial Loop Expressway)
172.562–
172.843		277.712–
278.164		 LA 3132 (Terry Bradshaw Passway) to Jewella AvenueExits 4 (eastbound) and 5 (westbound) on LA 3132
174.567–
174.575		280.938–
280.951		 LA 511 (West 70th Street)
177.063–
177.203		284.955–
285.181		 I-20 – Monroe, DallasExit 16A on I-20
177.441285.564 US 79 / US 80 (Greenwood Road)




 LA 3094 north (Hearne Avenue) to US 71 / LA 1 north		Northern terminus of US 171; southern terminus of LA 3094
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Business route

U.S. Highway 171 marker

U.S. Highway 171

LocationZwolle
Length3.112 mi[1] (5.008 km)
Existed2008–present

U.S. Highway 171 Business (US 171 Bus.) runs 3.11 miles (5.01 km) in a general north–south direction through the town of Zwolle.[1] It follows the original route of US 171 before the completion of a four-lane bypass in 2008.

The entire highway is in Sabine Parish.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
​0.000–
0.016		0.000–
0.026		 US 171 – Many, ShreveportSouthern terminus
Zwolle1.5282.459
 LA 475 south (Obrie Street)		Northern terminus of LA 475; to North Toledo Bend State Park
3.098–
3.112		4.986–
5.008		 US 171 – Many, ShreveportNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

Notes

  1. ^ For the federal government's purposes, US 171 is listed at 179 miles (288 km) in the official U.S. Route Number Database.[2]
  2. ^ Northbound US 171 traffic actually utilizes Opelousas Street, a local road, to access westbound I-10 due to the lack of a ramp for this movement. Opelousas Street is state-maintained to the east of its junction US 171 as LA 3020.
  3. ^ Signage at the Vernon Lake bridge identifies the waterway as Anacoco Creek, which was impounded in 1963 to create the lake.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Highway Inventory Unit (2016). "LRS Conversion Tool". Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  2. ^ "U.S. Route Number Database". American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. December 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Google (August 24, 2017). "Overview Map of US 171" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). Calcasieu Parish (East Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (July 2012). District 07: Official Control Section Map, Construction and Maintenance (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). Beauregard Parish (East Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). Vernon Parish (West Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). District 08: Official Control Section Map, Construction and Maintenance (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  9. ^ Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). Sabine Parish (South Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  10. ^ Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). Sabine Parish (North Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  11. ^ Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). DeSoto Parish (East Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  12. ^ Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). DeSoto Parish (West Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c d Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). District 04: Official Control Section Map, Construction and Maintenance (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  14. ^ a b c Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). Caddo Parish (South Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  15. ^ "La DOTD GIS". Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  16. ^ Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (December 2015). Louisiana Memorial Highways (PDF) (Map). Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  17. ^ "Myths and Legends Byway". Louisiana Scenic Byways. 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  18. ^ [1] -Blue Star highway

External links

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