What Can Make Crashes More Likely at Veterans Boulevard and Houma Boulevard?
Regional transportation planners have recognized for years that the busy intersection of Veterans Boulevard and Houma Boulevard presents safety challenges for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.
The intersection brings together several lanes of through traffic, turning and U-turn movements, nearby side streets, commercial entrances, pedestrians, and buses within a relatively compact area.
Traversing the area can be chaotic, and one missed signal, poorly timed turn, or lane-position mistake can lead to a crash.
Several Traffic Movements Come Together in One Area
Veterans Boulevard is a wide, divided roadway with several lanes of traffic traveling in each direction. Houma Boulevard crosses Veterans, while nearby streets, commercial driveways, and parking areas feed additional vehicles into the area shortly before and after the signal.
Drivers may be traveling straight through the intersection, turning across traffic, entering Veterans from a side street, or trying to position themselves for another turn shortly after passing through the light.
The intersection is more complicated than a conventional four-way crossing because Houma Boulevard approaches Veterans as a one-way northbound street from the south, while the roadway north of Veterans carries traffic in both directions. That configuration is further complicated by nearby U-turn openings and the multiple lanes of traffic on Veterans Boulevard.
Despite the high number of nearby lanes, the intersection does not operate like a standard four-way crossing where both directions on Veterans have left-turn options. Drivers approaching from different directions have different permitted movements and may need to rapidly change lanes and make a series of turns in quick succession to get to where they need to go.
U-Turns and Median Openings Create Additional Conflict Points
The wide median along Veterans Boulevard allows drivers to make U-turns and other turning movements that are different from a conventional four-way intersection.
Many drivers traveling east or west use the median openings to reverse direction and reach businesses on the opposite side of Veterans Boulevard. These U-turn entrances and exits are located immediately before or after the traffic signals, depending on the direction of travel.
That can require drivers to change lanes shortly before reaching the intersection or merge into traffic immediately after completing a U-turn. At the same time, other vehicles may be accelerating through or away from the signal, creating speed differences and overlapping movements in a relatively short stretch of roadway.
These movements can become more difficult when traffic is heavy or when several drivers are trying to enter the same section of roadway at once.
Nearby Businesses Add More Entering and Exiting Traffic
Businesses line both sides of Veterans around Houma Boulevard. That means some drivers approaching the intersection are not simply traveling through it.
A vehicle may slow suddenly for an entrance, leave a parking lot and merge into traffic, or cross several lanes to reach a business or upcoming turn. Vehicles entering from Kingman Street, nearby driveways, and other access points can add still more movement immediately around the signal.
Pedestrians Have a Wide Boulevard to Cross
Marked crosswalks provide designated places for pedestrians to cross Veterans and Houma, but someone crossing Veterans still has to travel across six lanes of traffic plus a large median.
Turning vehicles can create a particular concern because a driver may be watching oncoming traffic for an opening while a pedestrian is entering the crosswalk. Larger vehicles can also temporarily make pedestrians harder for other drivers to see.
Determining Fault Can Be Complicated After an Intersection Crash
Although the intersection at Veterans and Houma is complicated, there are clear lane and direction indicators, as well as signs indicating where drivers are or are not permitted to turn. When a collision does occur, determining fault may depend heavily on exactly what each vehicle was doing immediately before impact and who had the right of way.
Accident disputes often involve which driver had the signal, whether someone changed lanes while crossing the intersection, whether a vehicle was making a U-turn, or whether someone who had just entered Veterans from a nearby street or driveway did so safely.
The Law Office of Donald D’Aunoy Jr. represents people injured in car accidents throughout Metairie, including at Veterans and Houma. If you were injured in a crash, contact Lawyer Don at (504) 508-6414 to discuss what happened and what options may be available.
