Livingston Parish to Folsom From the west, LA 40 begins at a junction with
LA 43 between
Montpelier and
Albany in the northeast corner of
Livingston. The highway crosses into
Tangipahoa Parish after a short distance and passes through an interchange with
I-55 (exit 40) just west of
Independence. I-55 connects with
Hammond, Louisiana to the south and
Jackson, Mississippi to the north. LA 40 heads into town and follows West 3rd Street to a junction with
US 51 (West Railroad Avenue), which serves local traffic along the I-55 corridor. Immediately after crossing US 51, LA 40 crosses the
Canadian National Railway (CN) line at grade and zigzags south and east out of Independence. The highway then crosses a bridge over the
Tangipahoa River and intersects
LA 1054. In the community of
Loranger, LA 40 turns south at a junction with
LA 1062. Over the next , the highway zigzags along
section line roads but maintains a general eastward trajectory. During this stretch are intersections with minor rural routes, such as
LA 442,
LA 443, and
LA 445, which connect to more populated areas along US 51 and
US 190. Traveling through an area known as
Uneedus, LA 40 passes the entrance to the
Global Wildlife Center, a non-profit wildlife preserve open to the public.
Folsom to Bush LA 40 crosses the
Tchefuncte River into
St. Tammany Parish and proceeds into the village of
Folsom. The highway follows Garfield Street to a junction with
LA 25 (Orange Street) in the center of town, connecting with the cities of
Covington and
Franklinton. LA 40 zigzags north onto LA 25 for two blocks before turning east onto Cleveland Street to exit the village. The highway then follows a more winding path for the remainder of its journey. Heading southeast from Folsom, LA 40 begins a concurrency with
LA 437 that ends when the latter turns south onto Lee Road in a populated rural area north of Covington. LA 40 makes a zigzag past
Lee Road Junior High School then turns northeast for about . Resuming its eastward course, LA 40 intersects two minor rural routes,
LA 1082 and
LA 1083. Near the end of its route, the highway makes a final zigzag via
LA 21 in the unincorporated community of
Bush. It then continues a short distance further to a T-intersection with
LA 41, which turns north onto a divided-four lane alignment heading toward the city of
Bogalusa.
Route classification and data LA 40 is classified by the
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD) as a rural major collector west of Lee Road (LA 437 south) and as a rural minor collector between Lee Road and Bush. Daily traffic volume in 2013 peaked at 11,700 vehicles in Folsom and 8,200 vehicles between I-55 and Independence. The lowest figure was reported near the eastern terminus in Bush with an average of 1,460 vehicles daily. The posted speed limit is generally in rural areas, reduced as low as through town. LA 40 is an undivided two-lane highway for its entire length. ==History==