With one objection, the Board of Aldermen agreed to a resolution that transfers ownership of two state highways to the city.
Alderwoman Germaine Simpson made the lone dissenting voice vote against the deal with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
At Tuesday’s city meeting, Mayor Scott Fontenot said the DOTD deal was first broached seven or eight years ago.
Called “Right Sizing,” the DOTD program involves the state repairing state-owned roads in municipalities up to state standards and then transferring ownership to the local government. In addition, the state provides 40 years of the estimated maintenance on the road to the local government in the form of credits. The credits are used for work on any city-owned road, but the work must be approved by DOTD.
The deal of Eunice is for La. 3116, East Ardoin Street, from Sittig Road north to La. 13; and La. 755-S, known as College Road from LSU Eunice Drive east and then north to La. 91 (West Maple Avenue).
The College Road work includes a drainage structure, according to a the resolution.
The credits for the 40 years of maintenance are valued at $662,679.
Fontenot said the roads in the agreement are mainly used by local traffic.
Fontenot said the state probably would not do the work for at least three years.
Simpon questioned whether the work would ever be done.
Fontenot said DOTD is planning to work on La. 13 from Maple Avenue to Sittig Road and the Evangeline Parish line to U.S. 190 within the year.
DOTD is also planning to repave Maple Avenue, which is La. 91, from the T-intersection of La. 13 and Maple Avenue to the Acadia Parish line.
