Louisiana Highway 87

The Louisiana Highway Commission and the state's first system of numbered highways were created in 1921.[8] Five years later, the first portion of what is now LA 87 was taken into the system. This included only the portion extending from the Iberia–St. Mary parish line to the Charenton bridge, which was designated as State Route 129.[9] The remainder of the distance between New Iberia and Centerville was added by two further acts of the state legislature in 1928 and 1930. As was common practice within the system at that time, these extensions were not made part of the existing route but were each given new numbers. The roadway continuing Route 129 from the parish line upstream to New Iberia was designated as Route 443.[9] The portion extending downstream from the Charenton bridge became Route 902 to a point known as Pleasant Hill opposite Baldwin.[10] Route 906 continued from there to a point opposite Verdunville,[10] slightly further than the present terminus of LA 87. Complicating matters even further, the numbers 901 and 902 were duplicated in the 1930 act, with Route 902 also defining an unrelated roadway on the opposite side of Bayou Teche. During the decade, a "-D" suffix was added to the other Route 902 to distinguish the two routes.[11]

These matters were simplified in 1955 when the Louisiana Department of Highways, the successor to the Highway Commission, renumbered the entire state highway system. The former Routes 129, 443, 902, and 906 were grouped under the single designation of LA 87.[12] Thus, the state-maintained roadway along the east bank of Bayou Teche below New Iberia now carried one highway number over its entire length rather than four.

Class "B": La 87—From a junction with La 86 at or near New Iberia to a junction with La 320 at or near Olivier.
Class "C": La 87—From a junction with La 320 at or near Olivier through or near Jeanerette, Charenton and Centerville to the west bank of Verdunville Canal.

— 1955 legislative route description[12]

With the 1955 renumbering, the state highway department initially categorized all routes into three classes: "A" (primary), "B" (secondary), and "C" (farm-to-market).[13] This system has since been updated and replaced by a more specific functional classification system.

Since 1955, the route of LA 87 has experienced only minor differences. The junction with LA 86 in New Iberia was moved a few blocks away from the Bayou Teche bridge at the time of the renumbering or shortly afterward.[14][15] The pre-1955 route began at the intersection of Duperier Avenue and Marie Street and followed Marie Street and Pollard Avenue to reach Parkview Drive. In Franklin, a zigzag was eliminated around 1963 to provide a direct approach to the new Willow Street bridge. Finally, LA 87 was slightly shortened on its southeastern end after the present bridge at Centerville was constructed in 1972,[16] replacing an earlier bridge that was located downstream at Schwan Street.[17][18] As of 2017, the portion of LA 87 from LA 86 to LA 87 Spur is under agreement to be removed from the state highway system and transferred to local control.[19]

La DOTD is currently engaged in a program that aims to transfer about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of state-owned roadways to local governments over the next several years.[20] Under this plan of "right-sizing" the state highway system, the portion of LA 87 between Oaklawn and Centerville is proposed for deletion as it no longer meets a significant interurban travel function.[21]

Louisiana Highway 87 Spur (LA 87 Spur) runs 0.49 miles (0.79 km) in a southwest to northeast direction, consisting largely of a vertical lift bridge across Bayou Teche in New Iberia. The route connects LA 87 with LA 182, which travels along the opposite bank of the bayou.[3][4][22]

The designation of LA 87 Spur originated in 1957 when the state constructed a two-lane swing bridge across Bayou Teche at the foot of Lewis Street.[14][15][23] The route was extended one block from Main Street to St. Peter Street in the mid-1960s when a one-way pair along those streets was put into effect.[24][25] This gave US 90 (now LA 182) a four-lane corridor through New Iberia. In 2008, the original swing bridge was replaced by the current five-lane vertical lift bridge, which was officially dedicated as the Elias "Bo" Ackal Memorial Bridge in honor of the deceased local politician. Lewis Street was slightly realigned and widened to four lanes with a center turning lane to match the capacity of the new bridge.

LA 87 Spur is designated as an urban minor arterial by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD). Daily traffic volume in 2013 was reported as 21,600 vehicles.[6] As is typical for the state's highway spurs, the mileage for LA 87 Spur increases from the junction with its parent route regardless of geographic direction.

Major intersections
The entire highway is in New Iberia, Iberia Parish.

mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
0.491– 0.347	0.790– 0.558	LA 182 (East St. Peter Street, East Main Street)	Western terminus; one-way pair
0.198– 0.119	0.319– 0.192	Elias "Bo" Ackal Memorial Bridge over Bayou Teche
0.000	0.000	LA 87 (Parkview Drive)	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

•  United States portal
•  U.S. Roads portal

• Maps / GIS Data Homepage, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
• Bayou Teche Byway at Louisiana Scenic Byways