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Louisiana State Highway 1 - North to South
History  

	Texas	State Line	Arkansas
		Rodessa	State Highway 168
		7
		Vivian	State Highway 2
	State Highway 2	4
			Oil City
	State Highway 169		State Highway 169
	Highway 173		Highway 173
	Interstate 220	Shreveport	Interstate 220
	- West - Interstate 20	Shreveport	- East - Interstate 20
	U. S. 171	Shreveport	U. S. 71
	State Highway (Loop) 526	Shreveport	State Highway (Loop) 526
		20
		Lucas
	State Highway 175	10
		5
		Caspiana
		14
		Caddo Parish***Map
		Red River Parish***Map
		Abington
		2
	U. S. 84	Grand Bayou (U. S. 84)
		5 (U. S. 84)
	State Highway 177	(U. S. 84)
		3 (U. S. 84)
		Armistead (U. S. 84)
		4 (U. S. 84)
		Hanna (U. S. 84)
		4 (U. S. 84)
	State Highway 174	Lake End (U. S. 84)
		Red River Parish***Map
		Natchitoches Parish***Map
		7 (U. S. 84)
	State Highway 485	(U. S. 84)
		10 (U. S. 84)
	State Highway 6	Natchitoches	U. S. 84
		7
		Natchez	State Highway 495
		4
	State Highway 120	Cypress	State Highway 494
		4
		Montrose
		4
	State Highway 119	Derry	State Highway 119
		9
		Galbraith
		Natchitoches Parish***Map
		Rapides Parish***Map
		4
		Lena
		4
	State Highway 8	Zimmerman
	State Highway 121	2
		Boyce	State Highway 8
		13
	U.S. 165 South State Highway 28 West	Alexandria	U.S. 165/167 North U. S. 71 North
	U.S. 167 / 71 South	Alexandria	State Highway 28 East
		13
		Echo
		Rapides Parish***Map
		Avoyelles Parish***Map
Mansura	State Highway 114	2
		10
	State Highway 115	Marksville
		6
Moreauville	State Highway 114	2
		16
	State Highway 105	Simmesport
		Avoyelles Parish***Map
		Pointe Coupee Parish***Map
		7
		Lettsworth	State Highway 15
		4
	State Highway 418	Innis
		3
	State Highway 419	Batchelor
		8
	State Highway 10 West	Morganza
		4 (S.H. 10)
		Labarre
		6 (S.H. 10)
		New Roads	State Highway 10 East
		4
		Mix
		4
		Oscar
		7
		U. S. 190
		Pointe Coupee Parish***Map
		West Baton Rouge Parish***Map
		Erwinville
Interstate 10	State Highway 415	14 (U. S. 190)
		7	Mississippi River Bridge	Baton Rouge
		4
		PORT ALLEN Interstate 10	Mississippi River Bridge	Baton Rouge
		4
		Brusly
		3
		Addis
		West Baton Rouge Parish***Map
		Iberville Parish***Map
		5
		PLAQUEMINE
		10
		White Castle
		Iberville Parish***Map
		Ascension Parish***Map
		11
		DONALDSONVILLE
		10
		Ascension Parish***Map
		Assumption Parish***Map
		Belle Rose
	State Highway 70	Paincourtville	State Highway 70	Sunshine Bridge
		4
	State Highway 401	NAPOLEONVILLE
	State Highway 400	5
		2
		Supreme
		2
	State Highway 398	Labadieville
		Assumption Parish***Map
		Lafourche Parish***Map
	State Highway 309	7
		5
	State Highway 20 South	THIBODAUX	State Highway 20 North
		15
	State Highway 3199 South	Raceland	State Highway 3199 North
	U. S. 90 West	3	U. S. 90 East
		2
		Mathews
		3
		Lockport
		13
	State Highway 24 West	Cut Off
		3
		Larose
		8
		Galiano
		4
		Golden Meadow
		10
		Leeville
		Lafourche Parish***Map
		Caminada Bay
		Jefferson Parish***Map
		20
		Grand Isle
		Gulf of Mexico

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State Highway 1

State Highway 1, the Backbone state highway, crosses the state diagonally from the extreme northwest corner where Louisiana meets both Texas and Arkansas to Grand Isle on the Gulf of Mexico, near the extreme Southeast corner of the state. Highway 1 follows some natural paths diagonally across the state. From the earliest explorers and settlers the waterways were the logical pathway to get deep into the interior of the country: Bayou Lafourche, the Mississippi River, the Red River. As royal concessions were granted and plantations and settlements sprang up along the waterways, the paths that Native Americans would have used widened to make way for additional settlers on foot and their wheeled vehicles. Not every one could take the steamboats that later made their way along the waters. Trails were being cut before Shreve unloosed the famous log jam on the Red River and many early state governors placed a high priority on "internal improvements" that would help the planters get their crops to market.
1915 January	The first meeting of the Jefferson Highway Association brings to New Orleans 650 representatives of states along the intended route and other interested parties. The goal is to build a highway from the Gulf of Mexico to Winnipeg, Canada.
1924 January	The tenth annual meeting of the Jefferson Highway Association meets in New Orleans to celebrate the completion of the highway through the state of Louisiana. Louisiana is the first state to complete a road along the route, Minnesota is a distant second. The celebration has fudged a little as the route starts in downtown New Orleans and the road to the Gulf of Mexico will not be finished for another few years.
1924	Jefferson Highway is completed across the state of Louisiana. Starting at New Orleans it goes through Baton Rouge, across the Mississippi and the Atchafalaya, through Melville and on to Bunkie and Alexandria. From Alexandria it heads toward Natchitoches and Mansfield, the only stretch that follows the Highway 1 of today. From Mansfield it heads to Shreveport. The total distance through Louisiana is 420 miles.
1925	During 1925 a more direct route between Natchitoches and Shreveport, traveling along the west side of the Red River will knock another 20 miles off of the distance.
1930 April	Governor Huey Long announces a state-wide tour to gain support for an additional two-cent gas tax to modernize the state’s highways. On the second day he visits New Roads, Port Allen and Plaquemine. During this trip to the West Bank Long promises concrete highways going through Plaquemine, Port Allen, New Roads and on to Simmesport, the route of modern Highway 1. He also promises that toll bridges would be free.
1931 January	State Highway engineer Harry S. Henderlite announces a highway to be built between Golden Meadow and Grand Isle. The only alternate route to the popular off-shore resort is from Lafitte, but the cost is prohibitive. When taking the route through Raceland the mileage from New Orleans is 100 miles.