Louisiana Highway 34 (LA 34) is a state highway located in central and northern Louisiana. It runs in a southwest to northeast direction from the junction of U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) and LA 1239-2 in Montgomery to a junction with the concurrent US 80/LA 15 in West Monroe.
The route connects Monroe, the principal city of northeastern Louisiana and the seat of Ouachita Parish, with Winnfield, a smaller city that serves as the seat of Winn Parish. Winnfield is located at the junction of US 84 and US 167, which run concurrent with LA 34 through the center of town. Near its northeastern terminus in West Monroe, LA 34 has an interchange with Interstate 20 (I-20).
Outside Winnfield and the Monroe metropolitan area, LA 34 is an entirely rural highway that passes through the occasional small community. These include the Jackson Parish towns of Chatham and Eros, as well as the Winn Parish village of Atlanta.
LA 34 was created from portions of nine different former routes designated at various times during the 1920s and 1930s. The Louisiana Department of Highways combined them under a single designation in the 1955 renumbering of the state's highway system.
Route description
Montgomery to Winnfield
From the south, LA 34 begins at a junction with US 71 in the town of Montgomery. This junction also marks the northern terminus of LA 1239-2 (Caddo Street), a state-maintained local road. LA 34 heads northward from town as an undivided two-lane highway and crosses from Grant Parish into Winn Parish. The highway curves to the northeast and, over the next , passes through the tiny rural communities of Mt. Zion, Wheeling, Sardis, as well as the village of Atlanta. In Atlanta, a junction with LA 471 connects with Verda back in Grant Parish.
northeast of Sardis, LA 34 enters the city of Winnfield, the seat of Winn Parish. The highway travels along South Jones Street across the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) line to a junction with the concurrent US 84/US 167 at West Court Street. LA 34 turns east to follow US 84/US 167, becoming an undivided four-lane highway with a center turning lane. The route overpasses the KCS tracks and transitions onto East Lafayette Street. On the east side of town, US 167 curves south toward Alexandria while US 84 and LA 34 turn north at a T-intersection onto East Boundary Street, narrowing again to two lanes. After a short distance, the route turns northeast at a Y-intersection with Maple Street and exits the Winnfield corporate limits.
Winnfield to Eros
After crossing the Dugdemona River northeast of Winnfield, US 84 branches off of LA 34 in Joyce and heads toward Tullos. LA 34 curves due north and intersects LA 126 about midway between points known as Hudson and Gaars Mill. LA 126 connects with Dodson to the west and Sikes to the east. North of this junction, LA 34 curves its way through the thick piney woods before crossing from Winn Parish into Jackson Parish.
Immediately across the parish line, LA 34 intersects LA 147 (Walker Road), which branches northwest toward the town of Jonesboro. The alignment of LA 34 straightens out for about as the highway passes along the east side of the Caney Creek Reservoir and Jimmie Davis State Park. North of Womack, however, LA 34 begins to follow the natural contours of the terrain once again. In the tiny town of Chatham, LA 34 intersects LA 4, a rural cross-state route. In the even smaller incorporated town of Eros, LA 34 has a brief concurrency with LA 148 and also intersects LA 144, which heads north toward Calhoun and Choudrant.
Eros to West Monroe
Immediately northeast of Eros, LA 34 crosses into Ouachita Parish. Passing through Guyton, LA 546 begins and branches northeast toward I-20 at Cheniere. LA 34 curves due east for to a junction with LA 557. The highway then turns northeast and proceeds into the suburban Brownsville–Bawcomville area. Here, the roadway widens again to four lanes with a center turning lane. LA 617 begins and proceeds straight ahead onto Thomas Road while LA 34 turns east onto Jonesboro Road, remaining in its same capacity.