Bridge on Jessie B Road gets attention

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A bridge on Jessie B Road in the Swords area may be replaced with a temporary culvert, according to St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard.
Bellard said the bridge is to be replaced in 2022 or 2023, but the culvert is a temporary fix.
A bridge on Little Teche Road between Jennings Road and the Savoy Sausage plant also may get fixed.
Bellard said the worst case scenario for the bridge is replacement, which would cost $144,000. A culvert may be considered for the bridge.
The money is to come from the parish’s Smooth Ride Home Program funds. The account has about $2 million in it, he said.
The bridges were among several issues considered at the St. Landry Parish Council’s meetings of its Public Works and Administrative-Finance Committee meetings Wednesday.
The meetings were conducted over Zoom.
Ditches are being dug throughout the parish with three contract crews, Bellard said.
Council members Mildred Thierry and Nancy Carriere asked that culverts be cleaned along with ditches.
Council member Wayne Ardoin requested that Bellard provide the Council with the names of the contractors.
In response to a Council member Vivian Olivier’s proposed ordinance to require retention ponds at all new subdivisions, the Council agreed to authorize the parish president to form a committee to conduct a land use study.
Olivier said new subdivisions are coming in with no drainage.
Council member Harold Taylor agreed there is need for a better land management ordinance. “Perhaps what the president is suggesting is to get a committee together that can work with some private citizens and come up with a plan, a comprehensive plan for land use. I think part of that would be the retention pond thing, but I think we need to look at parishwide,” he said.
Committee actions must go to the full Council for approval.