In yonder days, Paul Maillard Road was the main street of Luling. It still is a main street in that it commands much of the traffic going from U. S. 90 to River Road.
Then U. S. 90 by-passed it and went straight to the Huey Long Bridge and the West Bank of New Orleans from Boutte. And Paul Maillard Road took on the look of neglect from unkempt premises along its route.
Several years ago, the parish council decided to redo and beautify Paul Maillard Road on the West Bank of St. Charles along with Apple Street in Norco on the East Bank. All went well with plans for Apple’s improvement but the West Bank road was left to deteriorate further.
It’s time to change that. And Parish President V. J. St. Pierre wants to do it with a $500,000 HUD Challenge Grant the parish is seeking. Included would be the covering of ditches, widening of portions of the road and putting in sidewalks and bike lanes.
The hospital along with drug stores, professional offices and other businesses draw a lot of traffic. And it is certainly time for the parish to provide a better route to their destinations.
An improvement in the beauty and usability of Paul Maillard will help to attract other businesses that will be a plus for the area. Hopefully, the grant will help to do that.
Regardless, the parish should pursue plans to make the West Bank’s former main street a credit to the Parish of Plenty.
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