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Fish Hatchery Road, Lacombe: the Next Soult Street

I am writing this article for those of my clients in Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana with business interests on the perimeter of the area I called the "Crown Zellerbach area" in a previous article.

Soult Street in eastern Mandeville runs roughly parallel to Highway 59 [Mandeville to Abita Springs] from Highway 190 to Highway 1088. I refer to Soult Street because:

1. In recent years Soult Street has become a recognized street name because of recently built subdivisions.
2. The south end of Soult Street has no special feature except that it connects to Highway 190.
3. Mandeville Middle School, Lake Harbor Middle School, and Magnolia Elementary are at and near the north end of Soult Street.
4. The traffic has spurred the development of nearby Highways 1088 and 59. A Chevron Extra Mile is under construction at that intersection. Other service stations and c-stores are likely to follow.

Drive to Lacombe on Highway 190. East of the bayou find the Hibernia Bank on the north side of Highway 190. You will see a street sign saying "Fish Hatchery Road" and a green state sign identifying the road as "LA 1093-1." Turn onto that road and drive north. For the first two or three miles you will see developed streets branching out in both directions. There is considerable residential development along those streets.

As you drive further and away from the streets branching out, you will pass the "Huey Long Fish Hatchery" for which the road is named. There is nothing remarkable that I know of to say about the hatchery except that the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission operates it to stock area ponds and lakes with desireable fish.

As you pass the hatchery, you will notice that the blacktoped road changes as it passes from the state maintenance area to the parish maintenance area. It is still blacktoped, but the road narrows some. Notice that there are still houses and various fields on both sides of the road. Also notice the land itself. This is not a marshy wetlands area. Imagine how easy it would be for a developer to build nice housing in this area.

But why would a developer want to build housing in this rather remote area?

Continuing north, you will pass over I-12 but there is no access there. A few miles further you will see signs on the right side of the road indicating a right turn toward I-12 and LA 434. Take that right turn onto Krentel Road. At the end of that road there will be a sharp left turn. A Frito Lay's distribution center, corporate office of Commercial Progressive Bank, and a few other offices will be there. You will see the Louisiana Heart Hospital across Highway 434. At that spot, you are less than 2000 feet from access to I-12.

A developer will build the housing for employees and professionals employed at the hospital.

Drive back to Fish Hatchery Road and continue driving north. Soon the paved blacktop stops. If it is a rainy time of year, you will notice that the land on both sides of the gravel road is low. Continue on the gravel road. Eventually you will come to a blacktop road. There are no signs, but it is Highway 1088. Turn right and you will come to the junction with Highway 434. Turn left on Highway 1088 and you will cross over the Interstate and eventually come to the north end of Soult Street and then the junction of 1088 and 59.

There is a widespread rumor which I cannot verify but believe to be true that the Saint Tammany Parish School Board plans to build a new high school near the junction of 1088 and the interstate. There is another rumor that the state has agreed to build accesses to the Interstate at 1088. People in Mandeville will probably refer to this area of 1088 at I-10 as "the other end of 1088." People in Lacombe will probably refer to it as the "north end of Fish Hatchery Road." People living there will probably look for a place to buy gas, rent DVD's, and buy groceries.

See other related links about the Zachary Taylor Expressway and proposed Highway 3241 from I-12 to Bogalusa.

Chronology
10/08/2002. This essay posted to web page.

Copyright © - 2002 Dutch Hawkins Mandeville, LA USA - All Rights Reserved

October 8, 2002