Iberville residents express concern on Grosse Tete Bridge repairs
PLAQUEMINE, La. (BRPROUD) – At a community meeting held on Tuesday, July 2, Iberville government officials and DOTD heard frustration and concerns from residents on how the pedestrian foot ferry in place of the bridge has still created a negative impact.
The Grosse Tete Bridge was first hit back in June by a boat. Officials said it caused severe damage creating a longer time for repairs. Dozens of residents asked multiple questions, some raising concern about school transportation and others asking why the time for the foot ferry is cut so short.
One resident said that the foot ferry is not handicap accessible and is difficult to use. Others said that some have even lost their jobs due to the longer commute to get to work on the opposite side of the Bayou.
A spokesperson for DOTD and Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle said they are doing the best they can to work with the Coast Guard and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries to continue making transportation as easy as possible for residents.
According to Daigle, over 3,000 residents have used the foot ferry so far, but some say parking by the ferry has also become an issue due to the lack of space. He said the Coast Guard only allows up to six people on the ferry, and if more are added, it would create a liability issue.
Some residents asked if there would be an overpass instead of repairing the bridge, but DOTD said the construction would take longer. Daigle said he is working with officials to continue making the process easy for residents.
“With over 2000 cars a day, in the last eight years, this bridge has seen a 28% increase in traffic flow. So having that traffic flow continuously increases what’s going to happen in another ten years. And with those numbers, we have to look at the long-term solution and how do we do that. So, it’s going to be working with our state reps, our governor, our senator,” he said.
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Iberville officials said they would have more community and school board meetings to find alternative ways for students to attend school to avoid long travel times without using the foot ferry creating a safety hazard.
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