Louisiana Highway 25 (LA 25) is a state highway located in southeastern Louisiana. It runs in a north–south direction from U.S. Highway 190 (US 190) in Covington to the Mississippi state line north of Warnerton.
The route extends from the Covington city limits through the rural hilly terrain beyond the New Orleans metropolitan area. It travels through northern St. Tammany Parish and traverses neighboring Washington Parish, connecting both parish seats: Covington and Franklinton, respectively. The only other incorporated area along the route is the small village of Folsom.
LA 25 generally runs parallel to the Bogue Falaya and Bogue Chitto rivers, crossing the latter via the Chess Richardson Bridge at Franklinton, which it shares with LA 10 and LA 16. In addition to those routes, LA 25 crosses several rural east–west state highways that traverse the Florida Parishes, including LA 40 in Folsom and LA 38 at Clifton. North of Franklinton, LA 25 crosses the state line and continues as Mississippi Highway 27 (MS 27) toward Tylertown.
LA 25 was created in the 1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering, replacing the former State Route 34. The designation initially extended southward to a different terminus near the present US 190/LA 22 interchange in Mandeville. However, the route has been shortened twice due to realignments of US 190, first in 1956 when US 190 was returned to its original route through Covington and again in 1969 when the Covington Bypass was completed.
Route description
From the south, LA 25 begins at a T-intersection with US 190 at the northern end of Covington, a city in St. Tammany Parish. At this intersection, US 190 turns southeast from Ronald Reagan Highway onto Collins Boulevard as it bypass the downtown area. LA 25 heads northwest on Collins Boulevard, a commercial thoroughfare, and immediately narrows from four to two lanes. Crossing out of the city limits, the surroundings transition to mostly undeveloped woodlands. The highway then passes just to the west of St. Benedict, the location of the historic St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary College. Over its first , LA 25 makes a beeline toward the village of Folsom, running generally parallel and west of the Bogue Falaya River. Once in Folsom, the route proceeds along Orange Street, the town's main thoroughfare. LA 25 overlaps the east–west LA 40 for two blocks, as the latter zigzags between Garfield and Cleveland Streets through town. Signage directs motorists to nearby attractions along LA 40, including the Global Wildlife Center just inside neighboring Tangipahoa Parish. North of Folsom, LA 450 branches northwest off of LA 25, which then winds its way into Washington Parish.
Proceeding northward, LA 25 begins to parallel the Bogue Chitto River, passing just west of Bogue Chitto State Park. LA 16 joins the highway from the west at a T-intersection, and immediately after curving to the northeast, LA 10 does the same at a second T-intersection. The three routes then proceed concurrently across the Bogue Chitto River on the Chess Richardson Bridge, simultaneously entering the town of Franklinton. After briefly curving along Washington Street into the downtown area, the three routes split in different directions at a four-way intersection. While LA 10 continues ahead on Washington Street toward Bogalusa, LA 16 and LA 25 turn southeast and northwest, respectively, onto Main Street. After traveling seven block through a residential neighborhood, LA 25 turns west onto Bene Street at a junction with LA 430 opposite the Washington Parish Fair Grounds.
Curving to the northwest, LA 25 exits Franklinton, and the rural surroundings return as the highway parallels the east bank of the Bogue Chitto River for the remainder of its journey in Louisiana. LA 25 has two further junctions with east–west state highways, the first being LA 38 at Clifton, located north of Franklinton. beyond this point is a junction with LA 438 which, like LA 38, connects with the small communities of Mount Hermon to the west and Hackley to the east. LA 25 proceeds northward a short distance to the Mississippi state line, where it continues toward Tylertown as Mississippi Highway 27 (MS 27).
Route classification and data
LA 25 is an undivided two-lane highway for virtually its entire length. The highway is classified as a rural minor arterial by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (La DOTD). Daily traffic volume in 2013 peaked at 19,100 vehicles in Covington, 13,000 in Franklinton, and 10,700 in Folsom. The remainder of the route generally averaged between 2,600 and 5,500 vehicles daily. The posted speed limit is in rural areas, reduced to in Folsom and in Franklinton.