ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- Nap Lane here in Opelousas is the latest roadway in St. Landry Parish in need of repairs.

News 10 spoke to Parish President Jessie Bellard, who says finding funding for roadwork is a top priority, and the goal is to fix roadways like this permanently one project at a time.

"You can look on the road, the road is failing on each side and it's just too much for our people," said Bellard.

With damaged roadways being an issue across the parish, dealing with drainage issues and damaged asphalt, Bellard says he's worked extensively with state officials to find funding needed to start addressing the safety concerns.

"So we put in some request for capital from the state. We were awarded $5 million last year as priority five. Priority five just stays there, it's not funded. This year we're shooting for the priority five to move to priority one, which is going to be a funded project," Bellard explained.

Moving the funding from priority 5 to priority 1 means the project on Nap Lane can begin sooner rather than later. However, Bellard says the full funding may not be available immediately.

"We're lucky if we get 2.5, okay, which is not a problem because it takes us from right here all the way to there. Which is where it Ys off and it goes to the Ranch subdivision, and the other one goes to the Lewisburg Highway," said Bellard.

With funding now within reach, Bellard says permanent solutions are also possible as plans to rebuild these damaged roads can finally begin.

"We're going to widen the road, the curb and go to a drainage and fix it like it needs to be fixed once and for all. This could be a lot of inconvenience at the time, if we can get this section down, which is the most heavily traveled part of it, but it needs to happen because it's a safety issue," Bellard added.

The Nap Lane project is expected to start in the fall. Bellard says he also plans to travel to Baton Rouge to speak with officials and continue the pursuit of getting more projects funded.

Latest Posts