Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

A hurricane evacuation route shield in New Orleans, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina

The DOTD has been active in addressing the increased awareness for effective evacuation plans in the event of hurricanes threatening southeast Louisiana, and the Greater New Orleans area in particular. Following lessons learned during Hurricane Georges in 1998 DOTD has constructed contraflow lanes,[7][8][9] crossover lanes, and made agreements with Mississippi officials to implement the contraflow plan in the event of future hurricane threats. This is a plan where all the traffic is directed in the same direction and marked with appropriate signs and signals. These plans were tested and modified following Hurricane Ivan in 2004 as residents of the New Orleans area spent upwards of 18 hours in traffic. These changes included the strategic distribution of traffic control devices, improved coordination of police personnel, and wide distribution of information and maps to the public depicting the state's phased evacuation plan and the various contraflow routes. These changes were tested and successful in August 2005 when New Orleans and the surrounding parishes were placed under a mandatory evacuation in advance of Hurricane Katrina.[10]

The DOTD has a department for roadside vegetation granted by Act No. 682 of the Regular Session of the State Legislature of 1989. There is a DOTD Chief Architect and a DOTD Chief Engineer and each district has a district roadside development coordinator. Mowing of interstate and Louisiana highways are under the jurisdiction of Roadside Development and all road construction and improvements are subject to inspection and approval.

The department adopted a manual that sets guidelines and rules for landscaping, wildflowers, mowing, and spraying herbicides and pesticides. The state has an aggressive stance on the preservation and planting of wildflowers. The guidelines state that mowing should be a minimum of three times a year on interstate highways and biannually on state highways. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the Louisiana Department of Agriculture to enforce compliance of applicators of herbicides or pesticides with training provided by the Louisiana Extension program. The District Roadside Development Coordinator must be licensed by the state and be proficient in all aspects of pesticides and herbicides.

DOTD operates and maintains the dam, water control structures, gates, spillway, and related appurtenances on 20 state-constructed reservoirs and is required to inspect all dams to ensure conformity with established standards and regulations.[13] The department works closely with the United States Army Corps of Engineers.[14]

DOTD is the State Agency for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The state works in conjunction with FEMA on a 25%/75% ratio.

The DOTD division of "Weights and Standards" is the office responsible for vehicle oversize permits on Louisiana highways. DOTD considers there are twelve stationary scale house locations in the state but for most "Point of entry" (POE) locations and divided highways there is a scale house on each side of the road.[15] When the scalehouse is open all trucks not equipped with "Prepass" or "Drivewyze" must enter the scale house if directed. Exceptions are scales that have weigh in motion scales. Dept of Public Safety enforcement officers (DPS) have portable scales and can weigh a vehicle anywhere it is safe.