For a majority of the year, the Bonnet Carré Spillway road serves as a pathway to school for 321 students each and every weekday. The opening of the spillway changed all that, and because the road took on extensive damage, the buses that carry those students were forced to use the dangerous Airline Highway after the opening.
The St. Charles Parish School Board is leading the charge to have that road repaired, and even passed a resolution urging state and federal agencies to repair the road before school resumes on Aug. 13.
“Everyone who has been out on Airline realizes that it’s a very dangerous place for those buses to travel,” School Board member John “Jay” Robichaux, who proposed the resolution, said. “We were happy to help out New Orleans by opening up the spillway, but now we need that road fixed.”
The Spillway Road is maintained by parish government, although the land that it passes through is federally owned. The board’s resolution asks for the Army Corps of Engineers to repair or replace the road. However, the parish, with help from the Corps, stepped up to the plate to get it fixed.
Parish President V.J. St. Pierre says that the parish has already asked a contractor to provide a price estimate to make repairs to get the road open as soon as possible. There are 28 areas of the road that need repair, including two major areas where the road is completely washed out. The parish is planning on resurfacing only those damaged areas. There are also 72-feet of box culverts that have been supplied by the Corps. They will be installed at six or seven places under the road for drainage purposes.
“We are doing everything we can to get this road back in service and ask citizens to be as patient as possible,” St. Pierre said. “Sen. (Joel) Chaisson is obtaining $250,000 in funding from DOTD to help with repairs. I’ve spoken to the Corps of Engineers, and we have applied for grants to have the entire road resurfaced.”
The $250,000 from the state still needs to be appropriated, but it has gone through the Legislature.
St. Pierre estimates that bids should come in between July 25 and July 30 and the road work should only take about a week to complete.
Be the first to comment