Maintenance program improves 53 roads

Special to the Herald-Guide

January 27, 2011 at 2:40 pm  | Mobile Reader | Print 

As the 2010 Parish Road Maintenance Program comes to a close, contractors have made improvements to 8.5 total miles of local streets in each St. Charles Parish community.

Major roadways that enjoyed overlays include a large portion of Willowdale Boulevard in Luling, Primrose Drive in Luling and a lane on Stanton Hall Drive in Destrehan.

“The money that funds this program in particular has a very real, lasting and up-close impact for drivers and residents,” Parish President V.J. St. Pierre Jr. said. “We’re proud that this program is able to keep a good pace of local road improvements going on a continual basis.”

The St. Charles Parish Council in September awarded low-bidder Barriere Construction Co. LLC a contract in the amount of approximately $1.8 million to complete the scheduled work. GEC Inc. Consulting Engineers performed design work on the improvements, which includes the study, design and administration of the repairs, overlays and shoulder and/or curb repair. The Parish Council approved GEC to engineer the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Maintenance Programs.

Funding for the roadwork comes, in part, in the form of $500,000 from the state of Louisiana’s transportation fund. The amount varies by year based on the state’s allocation to Louisiana’s other 63 parishes. Remaining funds come from a parish property tax, which has been set by the parish council at 5.83 mills.

According to St. Charles Parish Senior Public Works Engineer Lee Zeringue, roads are surveyed annually and evaluated for repair based on a priority rating system. Roads get points based on nearby infrastructure, the number of dwellings they contain, access to emergency services, estimated daily traffic and existing condition. A list of streets targeted for the 2011 Road Maintenance Program is awaiting finalization.

To view a full list of roads improved during this round of maintenance, log on to stcharlesparish-la.gov and find this item under ‘News.’