Louisiana U.S. Highway 167 in
Louisiana runs in a north–south direction from the national southern terminus at
Louisiana Highway 14 Business (LA 14 Bus.) in
Abbeville to the
Arkansas state line at
Junction City. The route cuts through the center of Louisiana for roughly its entire length and passes through two of the state's metropolitan areas,
Lafayette and
Alexandria. Between those cities, US 167 ranges in character from an urban freeway to a lightly traveled two-lane collector. During this stretch, it overlaps the southern of
Interstate 49 (I-49) from Lafayette through
Opelousas before making a diversion through rural
Evangeline Parish to serve the small city of
Ville Platte. US 167 follows a combination of I-49 and the
Pineville Expressway through Alexandria and
Pineville, crossing the
Red River via the twin-span Purple Heart Memorial Bridge. US 167 remains a surface four-lane highway through northern Louisiana and is the primary north–south route through
Winnfield,
Jonesboro, and
Ruston. The northern portion of the route, beginning at the
I-20 interchange in Ruston, also carries the first of
US 63. On its southern end, US 167 began near
Colfax, Louisiana when designated as one of the original
numbered U.S. Highways in 1926. However, the route was extended to Abbeville in 1949 over a number of existing state highways, more than doubling its length within Louisiana. Since that time, US 167 has experienced several alignment shifts as freeways were constructed in its two urban areas. More recently, all but approximately of the route was widened to four lanes as part of the
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD) TIMED program.
Abbeville to Lafayette From the south, US 167 begins at an intersection with
LA 14 Bus. (Port Street) in the
Vermilion Parish city of
Abbeville, located in southern
Louisiana. The route heads north on Park Avenue, an undivided four-lane thoroughfare, and crosses mainline
LA 14 (West Summers Drive). US 167 travels due north from Abbeville and becomes a divided four-lane highway on a wide right-of-way upon entering rural surroundings. The highway will repeat this pattern throughout the majority of its distance in Louisiana. Passing through
Maurice, US 167 has a brief concurrency with
LA 92. The highway then curves to the northeast and crosses into
Lafayette Parish. US 167 enters the suburban outgrowth of
Lafayette and crosses the city limits just beyond a junction with
LA 733 (East Broussard Road). The highway, locally known as Johnston Street, becomes a busy commercial corridor near the
Acadiana Mall and intersects several major thoroughfares on the southwest side of town, including
LA 3073 (Ambassador Caffery Parkway). Prior to 2022, US 167 passed the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, located at a junction with
US 90 Bus./
LA 182 (University Avenue) and turned northwest onto the Evangeline Thruway, a
one-way pair, and overlapped
US 90 for about ten blocks. That year, US 167 was rerouted onto North College Road, Bertrand Drive, and the northernmost section of Ambassador Caffery Parkway, where it intersects US 90 before intersecting
I-10. The highway then runs concurrently with I-10 for approximately three miles before reaching a
cloverleaf interchange with
I-49 at exit 103. This interchange also marks the end of the I-10 concurrence as well as the southern terminus of
I-49. The portion of the Evangeline Thruway between US 90 and I-10 previously signed as US 167 is now signed as LA 182.
I-49 concurrency and rural two-lane US 167 utilizes the alignment of I-49 for the next . The freeway initially carries six lanes of traffic but quickly narrows to four through lanes. The highway crosses from Lafayette into
Carencro at exit 2, which connects to
LA 98 (Gloria Switch Road). Carencro proper is served by exit 4, connecting with
LA 726. North of Carencro, I-49/US 167 intersects the parallel LA 182 before crossing into
St. Landry Parish. Narrowing to an undivided two-lane highway, US 167 travels northwest, overlapping LA 10 into
Evangeline Parish. Here, the highway enters the city of
Ville Platte and diverges onto the one-way pair of LaSalle and Main Streets through the center of town. During this stretch, US 167 intersects and briefly overlaps
LA 29. After narrowing to two lanes again, US 167 turns due north at the western edge of Ville Platte and separates from LA 10. The highway passes to the east of
Millers Lake and through an area known as
Bayou Chicot, where it intersects
LA 106. A few miles later, US 167 reaches a T-intersection with
LA 13 in
Turkey Creek. US 167 turns north to continue the path of LA 13 and travels several miles through a very sparsely populated area.
Alexandria metropolitan area US 167 crosses into
Rapides Parish just north of
Clearwater and crosses under I-49 at exit 61. Soon afterward, it reaches a T-intersection with
US 71 near
Meeker and departs from the last stretch of two-lane pavement along its route. US 167 turns northwest and follows the alignment of US 71 alongside the
Union Pacific Railroad (UP) line for the next through
Lecompte,
Lamourie, and
Chambers. In Chambers, the highway passes the
Louisiana State University at Alexandria, located about south of the
Alexandria city limits. Upon entering Alexandria, the principal city of central Louisiana, US 71 and US 167 engage into an interchange with I-49 at exit 80. (This interchange is also exit 63 on US 71.) US 167 takes the entrance ramp to begin another concurrency with I-49, while US 71 proceeds straight ahead onto MacArthur Drive co-signed as
US 167 Bus. This time, the freeway begins with four through lanes and widens to six lanes further into town. On the edge of the business district, US 167 departs from I-49 a final time via exit 84 and transitions onto the Pineville Expressway joined with
LA 28. As the highway elevates to begin the approach onto the
Red River bridge, ramps connect to
LA 1 and
LA 28 Bus. via the grade-level one-way pair of Casson and Fulton Streets. This interchange also reconnects US 167 Bus. to the parent route, though it is not signed here. US 167 proceeds over the six-lane twin-span Purple Heart Memorial Bridge and crosses from Alexandria into the smaller adjacent city of
Pineville. US 167 follows the CPKC into the town of
Jonesboro, where it travels along Old Winnsboro Road. After beginning a concurrency with
LA 147, US 167 intersects
LA 4 (East Main Street) in the center of town. Just north of Jonesboro, US 167 passes through the adjacent communities of
Hodge and
North Hodge, where LA 147 turns off to the northwest. US 167 winds its way through
Quitman,
Ansley, and
Clay before crossing into
Lincoln Parish. In Lincoln Parish, US 167 proceeds north into the city of
Ruston and diverges onto the one-way pair of Vienna and Trenton Streets. The route overlaps
US 80 for nine blocks and also begins a longer concurrency with
LA 146 at California Avenue. Heading out of the business district, US 167 passes through an interchange with
I-20, connecting with Shreveport to the west and Monroe to the east. This interchange also marks the southern terminus of
US 63, and the two highways will remain paired throughout the remainder of their distance in Louisiana. North of Ruston, the rural surroundings return once again. While passing through
Vienna, LA 146 departs to the west. US 167 proceeds through
Unionville and
Dubach before crossing into
Union Parish. In Union Parish, the highway enters
Bernice, where it follows another one-way pair (Cherry and Plum Streets). In this small town,
LA 2 Alt. utilizes the alignment of US 167 to reconnect to its parent route,
LA 2. In
Lillie, US 167 intersects the northern terminus of
LA 15 just west of
Spearsville. The route then curves northwest toward
Junction City, located on the
Arkansas state line. US 167 follows Main Street through town and intersects
LA 9 (West Fifth Street). At 3rd Street, the highway crosses the state line into
Junction City, Arkansas and proceeds northward co-signed with US 63 toward
El Dorado.
Route classification and data US 167 has several different
functional classifications over the course of its route, as determined by the
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD). The route is classified as an urban principal arterial through most of the cities it serves. Outside of town, the majority of the route serves as a rural minor arterial south of Alexandria and as a rural principal arterial northward. Two notable exceptions are the portions running concurrent with I-49, which are classified as urban and rural interstates, and the portion between Ville Platte and Turkey Creek, which is a rural major collector. Daily traffic volume in 2013 peaked at 53,500 vehicles in Lafayette and 56,100 in Alexandria, both along concurrencies with I-49. The lowest count reported was 1,110 vehicles north of Turkey Creek. Several pieces of the southern half of US 167 are included in the state-designated system of tourist routes known as the
Louisiana Scenic Byways. The portion between Abbeville and Lafayette is part of the
Jean Lafitte Scenic Byway, and much of the route through Evangeline Parish is part of the
Zydeco Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway.
Arkansas Highway 167 enters Arkansas at
Junction City, a
twin city with
Junction City, Louisiana. Entering the state, Highway 167 is paired with
U.S. Highway 63. The highways runs northeast through rural
Union County to a junction with
Highway 7 near the historic
Joel Smith House. The three highways begin a
concurrency intersect
U.S. Highway 82 shortly after entering
El Dorado. North of this junction is a grade-separated intersection with
U.S. Highway 82B and
U.S. Highway 167B, leading into downtown El Dorado and the
El Dorado Commercial Historic District. The next intersection is with Main Street and is also grade-separated. Highway 63 breaks from the aforementioned concurrency to the east toward
Warren. Following an interchange with Champagnolle Road, Highway 167 ends its overlap with Highway 7 by exiting the freeway and heading north toward
Calion. This intersection also serves as the northern terminus for Highway 167B, with Highway 7 continuing north toward
Smackover. In the northern part of the county, Highway 167 meets another of its three business routes in the state, which runs into downtown
Thornton. Highway 167 continues northeast to a junction with
U.S. Highway 79, and the two routes begin a concurrency toward
Fordyce. ==History==