When the Bonnet Carre’ Spillway in Norco made history last year by opening twice for an extended time, the St. Charles Parish government was left with a problem.
Spillway Road would take time to reopen.
“Upon the closure of the spillway, the parish assessed the road and due to extensive damage, deemed it unsafe to reopen until repairs could be made,” said parish spokeswoman Samantha de Castro. “By state law, the parish is only allowed to make repairs up to $150,000; however, an estimate for repairs came in at $375,000.”
De Castro said the parish plans to do something different with the road, which connects Norco and Montz, than the “Band-Aid” approach it’s gotten in the past.
“We are currently working through the design, which will not only repair but improve the roadway to hopefully be able to better withstand future openings of the spillway,” she said.
The spillway has only been opened six times in the last 10 years. But de Castro noted, “We have a feeling this will not be the last time it is open and want to ensure we are making changes for the longevity of the road.”
She said they don’t have an estimated reopening date yet for the road, but the parish is in the design phase of a solution to fix the road and get funding for the project.
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