New LED lights added to Nicholson Drive after deadly crash near LSU

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Temporary LED lights are illuminating a stretch of Nicholson Drive near LSU as officials work to improve safety for pedestrians and drivers following a crash that killed an LSU student and her fiancé.

The new lighting comes as construction continues on a MOVEBR road improvement project. Officials say the walking path has also been repaved, and the speed limit between Brightside Drive and Bob Pettit Boulevard has been lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph.

East Baton Rouge Transportation Director Fred Raiford said the area between Brightside and Bob Pettit had been dark, and officials wanted drivers to be able to see people walking.

“We wanted to be sure that people saw people walking, provide a little additional lighting for the roadway,” Raiford said.

The changes follow the Oct. 18 crash that killed Leah Victoria Fonte and Shane David Hirstius, both 21. Baton Rouge police said the couple was walking along the shoulder when a vehicle veered off the roadway and struck them. Fonte, an LSU senior, died at the scene; Hirstius, a firefighter, later died at a hospital.

Police arrested the driver, Mia Camille Dawson, on charges including vehicular homicide, operating while impaired and hit-and-run driving.

After the crash, officials reached out to partners including DOTD, LSU Police, the sheriff’s office and Entergy about the need for more light along the road, according to state Rep. Dixon McMakin (R-District 68).

“Before the sidewalk gets finished during this road project, we’ve got to have more light out there,” McMakin said. “Would that have helped the accident? We never know.”

McMakin said the temporary lights are intended to help pedestrians feel safer and make them more visible to drivers. He also said he would have liked to see concrete barricades installed during construction.

The larger MOVEBR project calls for a shared-use path, additional lighting and improved pedestrian crossings. Raiford said officials are also considering whether more lighting is needed between Bob Pettit Boulevard and Gurrier Avenue.

Raiford said utility relocation could take at least another year, followed by about a year and a half of construction, weather permitting. He estimated the project could be completed in late 2028 or early 2029.

DOTD has said it is unclear whether the lower speed limit will remain in place after construction is complete.

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