Louisiana Highway 142 (LA 142) is a state highway located in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana. It runs 8.75 miles (14.08 km) in a north–south direction from U.S. Highway 425 (US 425) north of Bastrop through Beekman to the Arkansas state line.

Louisiana Highway 142 marker
Louisiana Highway 142
Crossett Road
Route of LA 142 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Louisiana DOTD
Length8.747 mi[1] (14.077 km)
Existed1955 renumbering–present
Major junctions
South end US 425 north of Bastrop
North end AR 133 at Arkansas state line northwest of Beekman
Location
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishesMorehouse
Highway system
  • Louisiana State Highway System
LA 141 LA 143
SR C-1489C-1490 SR C-1491

LA 142 traverses a rural and thickly wooded area in the northeastern portion of the state. The route connects Bastrop, the parish seat and largest city in Morehouse Parish, with Crossett, a city in Ashley County, Arkansas. While LA 142 heads northwest toward Crossett, US 425 travels in a slightly northeastern trajectory to the smaller city of Hamburg. Though the route performs a north–south function, signage for LA 142 does not carry directional banners. LA 142 is known locally as Crossett Road.

Route description

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From the south, LA 142 begins at an intersection with US 425 near Chemin-A-Haut State Park north of Bastrop. It proceeds northwest for just under 2.0 miles (3.2 km) before curving slightly to the west and passing through a sparsely populated area along the Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi Railroad known as Beekman. LA 142 crosses the AL&M line at grade then resumes a northwestern course. 3.8 miles (6.1 km) later, LA 142 intersects LA 543, which heads southwest through a point known as Vaughn. Shortly afterward, the highway curves more to the north and continues for 2.4 miles (3.9 km) before reaching the Arkansas state line. The route proceeds northward into Ashley County as Arkansas Highway 133 (AR 133) toward the city of Crossett.[2][3][4]

The route is classified as a rural minor arterial by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD) with an average daily traffic volume in 2013 of 3,400 vehicles.[5] LA 142 is an undivided, two-lane highway for its entire length with a posted speed limit of 55 mph (90 km/h).[2]

History

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Pre-1955 route numbering

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State Route C-1490
LocationMorehouse Parish
Length8.9 mi[6] (14.3 km)
Existed1930s–1955

In the original Louisiana Highway system in use between 1921 and 1955, the modern LA 142 was designated as State Route C-1490.[6] Like all state highways created after 1930, Route C-1490 was numbered by the state highway department rather than by an act of the state legislature and carried a "C-" prefix. The southern terminus was at that time a junction with State Route 204, which followed the modern route of US 425 between Bastrop and the Arkansas state line.[3][6] Apart from the straightening of some curves in the vicinity of Beekman, Route C-1490 remained relatively unchanged until the 1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering.[6][7]

Post-1955 route history

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LA 142 was created in 1955 as a direct renumbering of State Route C-1490.[8]

La 142—From the Arkansas state line south of Crossett[,] Arkansas through or near Beekman to a junction with La 139 at or near Chemin A Haut.

— 1955 legislative route description[8]

The southern terminus of the route was now a junction with LA 139. In 1989, US 425 was created and replaced the LA 139 designation north of Bastrop.[9][10]

The route of LA 142 has seen only minor improvements since the 1955 renumbering.[3][11] Most recently, LA 142 was slightly realigned at its southern terminus to intersect US 425 at a right angle. This was done in conjunction with a project completed in April 2012 that widened US 425 to four lanes between Bastrop and the Arkansas state line.[12]

Major intersections

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The entire route is in Morehouse Parish.

mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
0.000–
0.017
0.000–
0.027
  US 425 (Crossett Road, Hamburg Road) – Bastrop, HamburgSouthern terminus
6.1219.851  LA 543 (Vaughn Road)Eastern terminus of LA 543
8.74714.077 
 
AR 133 north – Crossett
Northern terminus; continuation in Arkansas
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "La DOTD GIS Data". Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. September 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Overview Map of LA 142" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). Morehouse Parish (West Section) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  4. ^ Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). District 05: Official Control Section Map, Construction and Maintenance (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  5. ^ "La DOTD GIS". Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d Louisiana Department of Highways, Traffic and Planning Section (1947). Morehouse Parish (Map) (January 1, 1955 ed.). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Highways.
  7. ^ Louisiana Highway Commission, State Wide Highway Planning Survey (1937). Morehouse Parish (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Highway Commission.
  8. ^ a b "Act No. 40, House Bill No. 311". State-Times. Baton Rouge. June 18, 1955. p. 3B.
  9. ^ Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (1988). Louisiana: Official Highway Map (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
  10. ^ Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (April 1991). Louisiana: Official Highway Map (Map). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
  11. ^ Louisiana Department of Highways, Traffic and Planning Section (1956). Morehouse Parish (Map) (January 1, 1958 ed.). Scale not given. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Highways.
  12. ^ "DOTD holds ribbon-cutting for completion of the widening of the U.S. 165 corridor". Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. April 13, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
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