CANKTON, La. (KLFY) – There is a lot of activity at the site of the new Billeaux Road Bridge in Cankton.

Crews are building a 54 foot long box culvert bridge. It will replace the old wooden bridge which has been closed for two years.

The bridge will connect Billeaux Road to Wagon Trail Road at the Lafayette Parish line.

Although the bridge connects two parishes, St. Landry Parish President Bill Fontenot said this is one community.

“I have seen funeral wakes on one side where the burial is on the other side so that shows you how this is a community bridge,” Fontenot said.

To build this bridge, 10 foot by 10 foot concrete boxes were pre-cast off-site. Thirty-nine boxes were then delivered to the bridge location. They’re assembled into three lines of 13 boxes.        

Fontenot said pouring the concrete off-site means rain and floodwater can’t damage it.

“This way they just come and set it in place on top of a pre-poured slab on an alignment of the channel and it allows for a more expeditious construction and a more dependable outcomes,” Fontenot said.

St. Landry Parish has a contract to build two bridges at once. The bridge on Billeaux Road costs about $400,000. A second bridge on Rozena Road near Lawtell costs about $750,000.

Fontenot said the parish was able to save money by putting two bridges in the same contract. 

Work began on both bridges in January. The bridges are expected to be completed in August.

With the Billeaux Road Bridge, Fontenot said it was cheaper to go with a box culvert.

Including the Billeaux and Rozena Road bridges, St. Landry Parish has replaced seven bridges in the past seven years at a cost of about $4 million.