LEBEAU, La. (KLFY) – DOTD crews are doing a patch and overlay project on U.S. Highway 71 in St. Landry Parish from Lebeau to the Avoyelles Parish line.

The roughly ten mile stretch is full of spider web cracks and potholes.

“You get a right front tire caught in one of them ruts — there goes your front end alignment,” remarked Jim Innerarity of Morrow.

“We get a lot of complaints from the public on that roadway,” admitted DOTD District Administrator Bill Oliver.

Oliver said U.S. 71 is a main route from Alexandria to U.S. Highway 190. It sees a lot of heavy truck traffic.

Oliver said the crews will replace asphalt, overlay and re-stabilize the shoulders, and replace a drainage structure.

“This roadway’s been on our list for over five years,” Oliver said. “There’s been some funding issues with the program and so we got an opportunity where there was a sufficient amount of money this year to go ahead and let that project and get it done.”

Oliver said U.S. 71 is the roughest road in the district. That’s out of eight parishes. Residents in Northern St. Landry Parish seem to agree with that assessment.

“On a scale of one to ten I’d give this road about a two, maybe and a-half,” Innerarity said.

Durwin and Blaire Ewing own Ewing’s Quik Stop on U.S. 71 in Le Moyen. Durwin has lived here his whole life and said the road has always been bad.

“You have potholes that you could step in. Probably twist your ankle if you’re not watching. Especially with these big trucks around here it’s real rough and stuff like that,” Ewing said.

Drivers can expect lane closures while the work is being done. And though that may slow down business for the time being, Ewing is hopeful about the future.

“It will be very beneficial for everyone around here and I think it will bring more people, more tourists, the scenic route, instead of taking the interstate you can pass through the country,” he said.

Bill Oliver with the DOTD said the project should take about eight months to finish. It will cost $6 million.

He said the money comes from the gas tax. The federal government pays 80 percent. The state pays 20 percent.