My regular run from Charlotte, NC to Laredo, TX takes me through Hammond, LA. Throughout the years, I have utilized the Petro at exit #40 off I-12. This is a great stop off point for fuel and a bite to eat however what I didn’t like at this location was trying to leave. The facilities were nice but the issue was having to make a left turn back onto US 51 in order to return onto I-12.To make things worse, directly across the highway there is a Love’s Travel Center and on the north side of the interstate there is a large mall and convenience store. This made for a situation which was not uncommon for me to wait upwards of 1/2 hour just trying to pull out of the Petro onto the highway.
Last year, Hammond, La constructed
three Roundabouts in order to assist with traffic flow. I am happy to report that it worked! Motorists are now exiting the businesses by making all right turns. For me, it is now a pleasure to stop once again at this location as congestion is no longer an issue.
The only issue that I have witnessed in regards to trucks on the Roundabout is that there are some drivers that are not aware what appears to be a curving/sidewalk surface is designed to allow a trailer tire to roll over this area. The reason for this area to be built slightly raised was to discourage automobiles from driving on the inside track of where the trailer will pass through. If you would like more information on how to properly navigate on a Roundabout, click
here