Funds for traffic study OK’d
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ST. FRANCISVILLE — The West Feliciana Parish Police Jury voted 5-2 after a contentious debate Tuesday to pay $95,000 for a study of future traffic patterns along much of U.S. 61 in the parish.
The highway is being improved and widened to four lanes from Thompson Creek on the southern end of the parish to Bains, north of St. Francisville.
ABMB Engineers Inc.’s study will evaluate the effect of future development along the highway from Thompson Creek to La. 66, the Tunica Trace.
The proposed developments include additional traffic from the John James Audubon Bridge under construction across the Mississippi River, possible expansion of the River Bend nuclear plant, a proposed 300-acre traditional neighborhood development and other development of vacant land along the highway.
Police Juror Ken Dawson said the study is needed if the parish wants to have a say in where traffic lights are placed in the future or how intersections with U.S. 61 are aligned.
Police Juror Lea Williams, who joined Juror Otis Wilson in voting against the study, provided jurors with an e-mail message from a state Department of Transportation and Development official outlining plans in the construction for 12 turn lanes and a “fifth-lane” continuous turn lane through much of the Hardwood area.
“This has already been done,” Williams said in arguing against the study.
Several members of the audience took opposite sides in the debate, with some saying the study is premature and others saying DOTD always is behind in predicting traffic patterns.
ABMB offered an $80,000 proposal last month to do the study south of St. Francisville, but several jurors pushed to have it expanded north of town.
Jurors Billy Shoemake, John Cobb, John Roach, Randy Stevens and Dawson voted for the study.
On another matter, jurors voted unanimously to pay SJB Group $8,483 to administer an expected grant of $1.4 million in federal funds for Hurricane Gustav recovery.
The money has been earmarked for two projects to relieve flooding in an area on Solitude Road and another to improve drainage in Hardwood subdivision.
Thomas King, an SJB representative, said he will put $50,000 into the grant application for a study of affordable housing policies that could help would-be homeowners.
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