Editing Interstate 12 (section)

==Route description==
[[File:I-12 West End - Exit 1A - I-10 East (42134288362).jpg|thumb|left|Western terminus in Baton Rouge]]
[[File:LA 1249 Baptist Pumpkin Center 3.JPG|thumb|right|180px|I-12's eastbound exit to LA&nbsp;1249, which leads to the communities of [[Baptist, Louisiana|Baptist]] and [[Pumpkin Center, Louisiana|Pumpkin Center]]]]
[[Image:I-12 eastbound ramp at LA 59 Clarification for I-59.jpg|thumb|right|180px|At the bottom of I-12's eastbound ramp to LA&nbsp;59, travelers also find a shield for the unrelated [[Interstate 59|I-59]], some {{convert|20|mi|km}} farther east]]

===Baton Rouge to Hammond===
From the west, I-12 begins {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} east of downtown [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]] in [[East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana|East Baton Rouge Parish]] at an interchange with [[Interstate 10 in Louisiana|I-10]] known as the I-10/I-12 split. While I-10 heads to the southeast toward the [[New Orleans metropolitan area]], I-12 proceeds eastward toward the North Shore of [[Lake Pontchartrain]]. Before leaving Baton Rouge, I-12 intersects some of its major arteries, including [[Louisiana Highway 3064|Louisiana Highway&nbsp;3064]] (LA&nbsp;3064; Essen Lane) and [[Louisiana Highway 73|LA&nbsp;73]] ([[Jefferson Highway]]) via [[Louisiana Highway 1068|LA&nbsp;1068]] (Drusilla Lane). It then passes through a cloverleaf interchange with [[U.S. Route 61 in Louisiana|US&nbsp;61]] ([[Airline Highway]]). These three exits serve several of the area's key medical and shopping centers, such as the [[Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center]] and [[Cortana Mall]]. The final exit in Baton Rouge is an interchange with [[Louisiana Highway 3245|LA&nbsp;3245]] (O'Neal Lane), which serves the [[Ochsner Health System|Ochsner Medical Center-Baton Rouge]] and eastern suburbs.<ref name="GMaps">{{Google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=I-12+(Western+Terminus)&daddr=30.4792386,-90.50629+to:I-12+(Eastern+Terminus)&hl=en&ll=30.39183,-90.373535&spn=1.305374,2.705383&sll=30.46791,-90.487518&sspn=0.163049,0.338173&geocode=FQsp0AEdFpyR-g%3BFYYT0QEdzvua-iljELVgyyMnhjEnqb-kuQ5Jdg%3BFQhjzgEdStOm-g&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=12&via=1&t=m&z=9 |title=Overview Map of I-12 |access-date=June 12, 2013}}</ref><ref name="P17 2012">{{cite map |publisher=[[Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development]] |title=East Baton Rouge Parish |url=http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/Parish%20Maps/East_Baton_Rouge.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902143914/http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/Parish%20Maps/East_Baton_Rouge.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 2, 2012 |cartography=La DOTD Office of Multimodal Planning |date=February 2012 |format=PDF |access-date=June 13, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="D61 2012">{{cite map |publisher=Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development |title=District 61: Official Control Section Map / Construction and Maintenance |url=http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/District%20Maps/District_61.pdf |cartography=La DOTD Office of Multimodal Planning |date=February 2012 |format=PDF |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=October 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017060653/http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/District%20Maps/District_61.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

I-12 reaches the [[Amite River]] {{Convert|1.3|mi|km}} later, where it enters [[Livingston Parish, Louisiana|Livingston Parish]] and the city of [[Denham Springs, Louisiana|Denham Springs]]. I-12 skirts the southern edge of town, providing interchanges with [[Louisiana Highway 3002|LA&nbsp;3002]] (South Range Avenue) and [[Louisiana Highway 1026|LA&nbsp;1026]] (Juban Road). East of Denham springs, I-12 skirts the southern edge of Livingston Parish's only other city, [[Walker, Louisiana|Walker]]. The interstate's sole exit in Walker is exit&nbsp;15, an interchange with [[Louisiana Highway 447|LA&nbsp;447]].

Past Walker are smaller communities in the eastern half of the parish. Exits include: [[Louisiana Highway 63|LA&nbsp;63]] serving [[Livingston, Louisiana|Livingston]] (exit&nbsp;22), [[Louisiana Highway 441|LA&nbsp;441]] serving [[Holden, Louisiana|Holden]] (exit&nbsp;29), and [[Louisiana Highway 43|LA&nbsp;43]] serving [[Albany, Louisiana|Albany]] and [[Springfield, Louisiana|Springfield]] (exit&nbsp;32).<ref name="GMaps"/><ref name="P32 2012">{{cite map |publisher=Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development |title=Livingston Parish |url=http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/Parish%20Maps/Livingston.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902143128/http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/Parish%20Maps/Livingston.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 2, 2012 |cartography=La DOTD Office of Multimodal Planning |date=February 2012 |format=PDF |access-date=June 13, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="D62 2012">{{cite map |publisher=Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development |title=District 62: Official Control Section Map / Construction and Maintenance |url=http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/District%20Maps/District_62.pdf |cartography=La DOTD Office of Multimodal Planning |date=February 2012 |format=PDF |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=October 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017060653/http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/District%20Maps/District_62.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Shortly after crossing the [[Natalbany River]] into [[Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana|Tangipahoa Parish]], I-12 intersects [[Louisiana Highway 1249|LA&nbsp;1249]], which leads to the communities of [[Baptist, Louisiana|Baptist]] and [[Pumpkin Center, Louisiana|Pumpkin Center]]. I-12 enters into a [[cloverleaf interchange]] {{Convert|3.2|mi|km}} later with [[Interstate 55 in Louisiana|I-55]] at the southeast corner of [[Hammond, Louisiana|Hammond]], the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish. I-55 heads toward [[Jackson, Mississippi]], on the north and [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]] on the south. {{One2a|{{convert|1|mi|km|spell=In}}}} after, [[U.S. Route 51 in Louisiana|US&nbsp;51]] crosses I-12, but the two roads do not intersect. There is instead an interchange with [[U.S. Route 51 Business (Ponchatoula–Hammond, Louisiana)|US&nbsp;51 Business]], which serves downtown Hammond, as well as the city of [[Ponchatoula, Louisiana|Ponchatoula]] to the south.<ref name="GMaps"/><ref name="D62 2012"/><ref name="P53S 2012">{{cite map |publisher=Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development |title=Tangipahoa Parish (South Section) |url=http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/Parish%20Maps/Tangipahoa_South.pdf |cartography=La DOTD Office of Multimodal Planning |date=February 2012 |format=PDF |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=August 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826055316/http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/Parish%20Maps/Tangipahoa_South.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Hammond to Slidell===
East of Hammond are two rural exits in southeastern Tangipahoa Parish: [[Louisiana Highway 3158|LA&nbsp;3158]] (Airport Road) to [[Hammond Northshore Regional Airport]] and [[Louisiana Highway 445|LA&nbsp;445]] to [[Robert, Louisiana|Robert]].

Just after crossing into [[St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana|St. Tammany Parish]], I-12 curves to the southeast and begins to parallel the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. An interchange with [[Louisiana Highway 1077|LA&nbsp;1077]] serves the town of [[Madisonville, Louisiana|Madisonville]] to the south. The following exit, an interchange with [[Louisiana Highway 21|LA&nbsp;21]], also connects to Madisonville as well as the parish seat of [[Covington, Louisiana|Covington]] to the north. Immediately before crossing the [[Tchefuncte River]], an exit to Pinnacle Parkway and East Brewster Road serves the growing shopping area east of LA&nbsp;21.

{{convert|2|mi|km|spell=In}} east of the bridge, I-12 passes through an interchange with [[U.S. Route 190 in Louisiana|US&nbsp;190]] between Covington and [[Mandeville, Louisiana|Mandeville]]. This section of US&nbsp;190 serves as St. Tammany Parish's busiest north–south thoroughfare, connecting Covington and surrounding points with the [[Lake Pontchartrain Causeway]], a {{convert|24|mi|km|-long|adj=mid}} bridge leading to New Orleans. Further exits in St. Tammany Parish west of [[Slidell, Louisiana|Slidell]] include [[Louisiana Highway 59|LA&nbsp;59]] to Mandeville and [[Abita Springs, Louisiana|Abita Springs]], [[Louisiana Highway 1088|LA&nbsp;1088]] to [[Louisiana Highway 36|LA&nbsp;36]], and [[Louisiana Highway 434|LA&nbsp;434]] to [[Lacombe, Louisiana|Lacombe]].<ref name="GMaps"/><ref name="D62 2012"/><ref name="P52W 2012">{{cite map |publisher=Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development |title=St. Tammany Parish (West Section) |url=http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/Parish%20Maps/St_Tammany_West.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829234950/http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/Parish%20Maps/St_Tammany_West.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 29, 2012 |cartography=La DOTD Office of Multimodal Planning |date=February 2012 |format=PDF |access-date=June 13, 2013 }}</ref>

I-12 passes through an interchange with Airport Drive {{Convert|6.3|mi|km}} east of the Lacombe exit, which connects to [[Slidell Airport]] due north. At this exit, I-12 enters the northern edge of Slidell. An interchange with [[U.S. Route 11 in Louisiana|US&nbsp;11]] connects to the downtown area. Less than {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} later, I-12 reaches its eastern terminus at a major interchange with I-10 and [[Interstate 59 in Louisiana|I-59]] at the northeast corner of town. From this interchange, I-10 heads southwest toward New Orleans and east toward [[Bay St. Louis, Mississippi]], while I-59 heads north toward [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi]].<ref name="GMaps"/><ref name="D62 2012"/><ref name="P52E 2012">{{cite map |publisher=Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development |title=St. Tammany Parish (East Section) |url=http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/Parish%20Maps/St_Tammany_East.pdf |cartography=La DOTD Office of Multimodal Planning |date=February 2012 |format=PDF |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=August 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829235547/http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/Parish%20Maps/St_Tammany_East.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>