Maple Avenue paving coming, just not this year

Survey crews will be working on Maple Avenue in the coming weeks, but the actual repaving of the road won’t happen until next year.
Bill Oliver Jr., Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development district engineer administrator, said this year will be one of preparation from the survey to bidding the project.
In July 2019, state funding for the $1.8 million project was approved.
Oliver said the paving should take about four months to complete once the road work begins. About two miles is to be paved.
State Rep. Phillip DeVillier, of Eunice, said a question has been raised about a sewer line under the road.
“I’m telling you the state is repaving that road,” DeVillier said at a recent Eunice Kiwanis Club meeting.
The project faced several vetoes from Gov. John Bel Edwards and DeVillier, who has opposed the governor at times, got the blame for the vetoes.
Noting the criticism, DeVillier said he is adamant about the road getting paved.
DeVillier said, “I have been brutally beat up over that road for absolutely no reason because it didn’t get that way in three years.”
The estimate to fix the sewer line is $2 million, he said.
One answer to funding the sewer line fix is to use credits from the state’s Right Sizing program.
The program involves the city agreeing to take over state highways such as the old Crowley Road and College Road — La. 755. The state does a final maintenance job and then credits the city for 40 years of maintenance.
The credits cannot be used for the sewer work, but the could be used to replace city funds on other road projects.
The state would have to approve the road work for the credits to be used.
Oliver said the sewer line is a city issue, but won’t stop the paving project.
The city has been sent a notice about the sewer line being its responsibility, he said
Mayor Scott Fontenot said the need for sewer line work on Maple Avenue from La. 13 to the new bridge on the west side is unknown.
The city is considering have video surveillance of the line, he said.
There is a request for state funding for the sewer line work.
“I want to see Maple get fixed,” Fontenot said.
Two years ago the sewer line between 3rd and 4th streets failed and the repair cost the city about $100,000.
The $2 million estimate would represent about a third of the city’s available capital outlay funds.
Fontenot said other needs such as a fire truck can deplete the city’s capital outlay fund.
While Right Sizing is attractive, the state requires roads built under the program to be constructed to state standards, he said.
The Maple Avenue paving project will join the new bridge just before Bobcat Drive. The bridge project was a $3 million state job.