U.S. Route 171
U.S. Highway 171 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System and the only route within that system currently located entirely within the state of Louisiana. It spans in a north–south direction from the junction of US 90 and Louisiana Highway 14 in Lake Charles to the junction of US 79/US 80 and LA 3094 in Shreveport.
As its designation indicates, US 171 is numbered as a spur of US 71, the principal north–south U.S. Highway through Shreveport, though they technically do not intersect. US 171 traverses six of the seven parishes along the Texas state line, the only exception being Cameron Parish located on the Gulf of Mexico south of Lake Charles. The route connects all six parish seats as it travels through the thick pine forests of western Louisiana on a wide four-lane right-of-way. The northern half of the route serves as the only major north–south corridor between Interstate 49 to the east and the Toledo Bend Reservoir along the state line to the west. Between the metropolitan areas at each terminus, US 171 passes through the smaller cities of DeRidder, Leesville, and Mansfield, as well as the towns of Rosepine, Many, Zwolle, and Stonewall. Along the way, the highway has interchanges with many of the state's major east–west routes, including Interstate 10, US 190, LA 28, US 84, and I-20.
US 171 was created as one of the original routes of the numbered U.S. Highway system in November 1926. Its only major alignment change occurred in 1937, when the highway was shifted from what is now LA 175 between Many and Mansfield. Improvements over the years have included the paving of the entire route during the early 1930s, the elimination of many at-grade railroad crossings during the remainder of the decade, and the widening of the highway to four lanes through its urban areas during the 1960s and 1970s. Four-laning of the entire route was accomplished between 1990 and 2010 via the state's massive TIMED program with the goal of improving safety and promoting economic development along the corridor.
The route carries several honorary designations, primarily that of the Purple Heart Highway in tribute to all recipients of the Purple Heart military decoration. The route has long been associated with the U.S. Armed Forces due to its proximity to at least four military bases active during the World Wars, the lone survivor of which is Fort Polk near Leesville.
Route description
Lake Charles to Leesville
From the south, US 171 begins at a junction with US 90 and LA 14, in Lake Charles, the largest city in Calcasieu Parish and southwestern Louisiana. Traveling about east of the downtown area, US 171 continues the route of LA 14 northward along North Martin Luther King Highway, initially as a divided four-lane highway. After immediately crossing over the BNSF and Union Pacific railroad lines, N. Martin Luther King passes through a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-10 at exit 33, connecting with Beaumont, Texas to the west and Lafayette to the east. The highway gains a center turning lane and an additional northbound travel lane throughout the commercial corridor north of the interstate. Upon exiting Lake Charles, US 171 traverses a strip of wetlands with twin-span bridges over two navigable waterways, English Bayou and the Calcasieu River. After crossing the latter, the roadway remains elevated until reaching the unincorporated suburb of Moss Bluff. A junction here with LA 378 leads west to Sam Houston Jones State Park and the nearby city of Westlake. US 171 maintains a combination of single and double center lanes through Moss Bluff, dropping the N. Martin Luther King Hwy signage as it passes just north of central Moses Bluff. As the surroundings become less developed, the right-of-way widens to accommodate a broad, grassy median.North of Moss Bluff, a rural area known as Gillis introduces a mixture of open farmland, thick forest, and scattered residential development that characterizes the next to the city of DeRidder. During this stretch, US 171 enters Beauregard Parish and engages in a folded diamond interchange with US 190 and LA 12 that allows a grade separation with the Union Pacific Railroad line. Located in Ragley, the landscaped eastern side of the interchange doubles as a recreational area known as Purple Heart Memorial Park, echoing the official designation of US 171 as the Purple Heart Highway. US 171 proceeds due north from Ragley co-signed with US 190 through the community of Longville, located at the eastern terminus of LA 110, and enters the outskirts of DeRidder. Approaching the city limits, US 171 and US 190 pass the western termini of three rural state highways. The first, LA 394 leads to a recreational area on Bundick Lake. The others, LA 26 and LA 112, connect to Oberlin and Oakdale in neighboring Allen Parish.
Curving west into the parish seat, US 171 serves as DeRidder's main east–west commercial thoroughfare. Initially traveling along 1st Street with a center turning lane, the route divides into a one-way pair as westbound traffic transitions onto Mahlon Street. The highway then crosses the Kansas City Southern Railway line into the downtown area, where it passes several historic buildings over the next few blocks. These include the Beauregard Parish Courthouse and an infamous Gothic structure known as the Hanging jail. US 171 ends its concurrency with US 190 by turning north onto Pine Street, an undivided four-lane thoroughfare. From this intersection, LA 27 heads south on Pine Street toward DeQuincy while US 190 continues west on the one-way pair of 1st and Shirley Streets toward Merryville. US 171 remains a commercial corridor until it crosses the Vernon Parish line, reverting to its rural configuration as it closely parallels the KCS rail line. DeRidder is separated by the small town of Rosepine by a short distance, during which an intersection with LA 3226 allows southbound traffic to bypass the city en route to US 190 west. At a point known as Pickering, located north of Rosepine, US 171 intersects LA 10, the first of several connections to the United States Army installation at Fort Polk. Passing to the west of the base, the highway continues through New Llano and into the larger adjacent city of Leesville.
Leesville to Mansfield
In Leesville, US 171 becomes a busy commercial corridor again, initially traveling along 5th Street's narrow four-lane right-of-way. Another one-way pair is then utilized as the parallel 6th Street begins to carry southbound traffic. In the center of town, three state highway junctions are encountered in the space of a few blocks: LA 467 to Northwestern State University's Fort Polk campus; LA 468 to the historic business district; and westbound LA 8 toward Jasper, Texas. US 171 proceeds north concurrent with LA 8 and descends below grade to cross under the KCS railroad line. Curving to the northwest, the highway's travel lanes converge as it approaches a roundabout. Here, at the northern end of town, LA 8 departs to the east and travels concurrently with LA 28 toward Alexandria, the principal city of central Louisiana. During its remaining in Vernon Parish, US 171 crosses the northeastern tip of Vernon Lake and passes through the rural towns of Anacoco and Hornbeck. Junctions there with LA 111 and LA 392, respectively, lead to points along the vast Toledo Bend Reservoir located on the Texas state line.US 171 enters Sabine Parish winding gently through the rural hilly woodlands while passing the entrance to Hodges Gardens State Park, the largest horticultural park in the United States. The route proceeds through the village of Florien, where a Boise Cascade lumber plant is located, and into Fisher, its smaller neighbor. US 171 then curves northwest and enters the town of Many, the parish seat. Cutting a serpentine path through the street grid outside the downtown area, the highway crosses LA 6, which follows a section of the historic Old San Antonio Road between San Antonio, Texas and Natchitoches, Louisiana. Regaining its wide rural right-of-way, US 171 intersects the southern terminus of LA 175, leading to Belmont and Pleasant Hill. US 171 makes a bee-line to the northwest over the between Many and Zwolle. Served by the highway's only business route, Zwolle is bypassed by mainline US 171, which travels around its east and north sides, intersecting LA 120 in the process. Signage also directs motorists onto US 171 Bus. to access North Toledo Bend State Park. US 171 comes closest to reaching the Toledo Bend Reservoir at Zwolle and the neighboring village of Noble.
After crossing over the KCS Railway at Noble, US 171 curves back to the north and intersects LA 174 in the village of Converse. Closely following the rail line once again, US 171 crosses into DeSoto Parish just south of Benson, a point located at an intersection with LA 512. later, the highway makes an S-curve across the KCS line on a high twin-span overpass before proceeding due north into South Mansfield, a small village connected to the city of Mansfield, the parish seat. In Mansfield proper, US 171 follows Jenkins Street and intersects US 84 at Washington Avenue, connecting with Logansport to the west. US 84 overlaps US 171 for a short distance until reaching Polk Street, while the bypassed original mainline route follows the continuation of Washington Avenue signed as US 84 Bus. At Polk Street, signage points motorists onto eastbound US 84 toward the Mansfield State Historic Site, a Civil War battlefield, as well as the former Mansfield Female College, the first institution of higher learning for women west of the Mississippi River. US 84 also leads eastward to an interchange with I-49.
Shreveport metropolitan area
As it enters the Shreveport metropolitan area, US 171 begins to approach and eventually parallel the route of I-49, the state's major north–south highway. After curving northwest out of Mansfield, US 171 passes the DeSoto Parish Airport and heads through Grand Cane, located at a junction with LA 3015. later, the highway bends due north again and then crosses LA 5 at a junction in Gloster known as Kickapoo. Just before crossing into Caddo Parish, US 171 passes through the town of Stonewall and intersects LA 3276, a connector to I-49. Across the parish line, US 171 crosses underneath the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in the unincorporated community of Keithville. Residential development gradually increases as the highway parallels the UPRR line toward the Shreveport city limits.US 171 enters Shreveport on Mansfield Road and retains its wide median as it becomes a heavily traveled commercial corridor once again. The highway has junctions with LA 525, as well as LA 526, a major thoroughfare along the south side of town called the Bert Kouns Industrial Loop Expressway. Larger shopping developments line the roadway as US 171 approaches an interchange with LA 3132, a freeway loop commonly known as the Inner Loop Expressway. LA 3132 complements the I-220 northern bypass of Shreveport and connects to major interchanges with I-20 to the northwest and I-49 to the east. Some movements between US 171 and LA 3132 are accomplished through a connected interchange with Jewella Avenue, a divided thoroughfare that branches off of Mansfield Road.
Proceeding northward, US 171 crosses over the UPRR line for the final time and intersects LA 511. The highway immediately branches off of Mansfield Road itself, transferring onto Hearne Avenue. Its median now replaced by a center turning lane, US 171 travels through a primarily residential neighborhood until passing through a diamond interchange with I-20 at exit 16A. This interchange is located at the edge of the State Fair Grounds, an area which also houses the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum and three sports facilities—Independence Stadium, the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum, and a baseball stadium. US 171 reaches its northern terminus a short distance beyond I-20 at a junction with the concurrent US 79/US 80. Hearne Avenue continues straight ahead as LA 3094 toward a junction with northbound US 71/LA 1 just outside Downtown Shreveport.