Transportation

Rapides Parish is located in the heart of central Louisiana.  While the geographic center of the state is really located in Avoyelles Parish to the southeast, Rapides Parish is often referred to as the center of the state because its largest cities, Alexandria and Pineville, are the hub for most transportation routes.

While only one interstate road, I-49, passes through the parish connecting Shreveport to Lafayette, a number of four- and two-lane state highways converge in Alexandria or Pineville and leave in many different directions.

Prior to the construction of Interstate 49, Alexandria to Shreveport was primarily connected by Highway 1, west of the Red River, and Highway 71 on the east side which remain today as secondary highways through Rapides Parish.  From north to south, Highways 165 (Monroe to Lake Charles) and 167 (Ruston to Ville Platte) crisscross in Alexandria/Pineville, while Highway 28 extends west to Leesville and east to Archie (where 28 becomes 84 to Natchez, Mississippi.

For a downloadable map of Louisiana highways, click here.

The parish is also served by air from three public airports and a couple privates ones.  The largest airfield, Alexandria International Airport (AEX) is at England Airpark and hosts commercial jet and turboprop service to Atlanta (Delta), Houston (Continental), Dallas (American), and Memphis (Northwest) at least twice per day.  England Airpark was formerly England Air Force Base (EAFB) until it was closed in the early 1990′s during military base realignments.

In Pineville, Esler Field (ESF) was the region’s primary airport until the base closure above.  The airport today is now used primarily by the Louisiana National Guard at Camp Beauregard but is also open to general aviation aircraft.  The remaining public airport is a small general aviation facility at Buhlow Lake known as Pineville Municipal Airport (2L0) with approximately 30 aircraft based at the field.

The Port of Alexandria offers many advantages for commercial and industrial commerce with its close proximity to Interstate 49 and Alexandria International Airport.  Loading cranes and storage facilities for barge traffic on the Red River allows the port to load and unload military equipment, grain, fertilizer, construction supplies and aggregate of many varieties by truck and rail.

While there are no passenger trains in the region, Kansas City Southern (KCS) and Union Pacific (UP)  railroads make their way through Alexandria transporting freight of all kinds.  The Port of Alexandria has direct access to these railroads thereby establishing itself as a key waypoint for river and rail traffic for all of central Louisiana.

Intrastate and interstate bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines from downtown Alexandria.  Also, the twin-cities of Alexandria and Pineville have local bus service in the metro areas for shoppers and commuters.