St. Tammany Parish and the state are moving forward with plans to build a $3 million tunnel that will take Tammany Trace users beneath busy Louisiana 59 between Mandeville and Abita Springs. The project also involves the slight straightening of a dangerous S-curve at the location to make the state highway safer for motorists.

St. Tammany government will pay for the design of the project, with the state paying for actual construction, said Erin Stair, project administrator in Parish President Pat Brister’s office. Engineering firms that are interested in the job have until Feb. 22 to respond to the parish government’s request for qualifications, she said.

Bicyclists and runners on the trace often have a difficult time crossing Louisiana 59, about a mile north of Interstate 12, due to the high volume of traffic and because the S-curve  limits visibility. There is no stop sign or traffic signal for motorists on the highway. The tunnel will allow trace users to move beneath the highway at Emile Strain Road without so much as a slowdown.

“I do know that it’s been an issue for a while,” Stair said. “We’ve been asked repeatedly to look into that. We’re fortunate that the state will partner with us on it. It will be a great project.”

The state has budgeted $3.3 million as a preliminary estimate for construction, Stair said. The state is aiming to award a construction contract by mid-2015.

Stair said she did not have an estimate on the design costs or how long it would take to build the tunnel.

The tunnel will be the second on the Tammany Trace. A passageway beneath busy Florida Street in Mandeville has been in use since late 2002.

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