LAWTELL, La. (KLFY) – The new bridge on Rozena Road will replace a 70-year-old wooden bridge that had seen much better days.
St. Landry Parish President Bill Fontenot said the old bridge was posted at one of the lowest weight limits.
“It was continually deteriorating to the point that if we would have had to lower the posting we would have essentially had to close it because buses would not have been able to safely pass,” Fontenot said.
Crews began building the new 150 foot long bridge back in January.
“It’ll be a concrete bridge,” Fontenot said. “It will be three spans 40 feet in length. It’s a quad beam design which was an economically design for this structure and it’s one that should last for another 70 to 100 years.”
The price tag is $750,000. The federal government is paying 80 percent while the state government is picking up 20 percent of the tab.
“If the parishes had to replace their bridges with their own dollars it would just be unaffordable,” said Fontenot.
The bridge is being built in a rural area just west of Lawtell. Some may wonder why so much money is being spent there. Fontenot said bridges like this one are vital to the economy of St. Landry Parish.
He said ranchers raise cattle here and farmers grow crops that need to get to market.
“Agriculture is king so we need our farmers to be able to access their properties and we need their children to be able to get to school,” Fontenot said.
Some drivers use Rozena Road to get from U.S. Hwy. 190 to LA 752. Fontenot said once the bridge opens it will help traffic in this part of the parish.
Weather permitting, Fontenot said the bridge should be completed and open to traffic by mid-summer.