I have lived here my entire life and have grown with this city. Joey Durel has stated that the Lafayette Consolidated Government does not have the capability of devising a transportation plan that will work with the current budget.
Builders and contractors do not appear to worry, or maybe care, that the residences they are building will cause more harm than good to the community. I am certain that prospective home buyers are not told by real estate agents of the traffic problems in these areas. Verot School Road and Kaliste Saloom Road have ridiculous traffic congestion, and all the new subdivisions are not occupied.
I leave from East Broussard Road at 6:45 a.m. for work at 8 a.m. in the city. If I leave anytime after that I will be late for work. Returning home from work is frustrating on Verot School Road. The cause of this is not just the hurricanes; the traffic was horrible before the two storms and has worsened. Two years ago I was able to leave at 7:30 a.m., and it took approximately 20 to 25 minutes to travel to work. Now it is about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the traffic flow.
Kaliste Saloom is scheduled to become a four-lane road for 2028, according to city planners, which in real time might be 2035. Look at Camellia Boulevard. Verot School Road is scheduled for widening after monies were transferred, not stolen, from a certain north side project, but on hold now due to a lack of state funding and drainage requirements of the state that the parish must fulfill. This project has been planned for several years. So why were the drainage issues not addressed and completed before now?
Preplanning of roads is necessary when a developer first notifies LCG of planning construction and from our transportation officials having the foresight to make wise decisions on where to improve the current roadways or build new ones for the increased population.
I also believe that there are numerous non-essential expenditures with our tax dollars that could be allocated for roads to improve the quality of life for the residents of Lafayette Parish.
Thank you and drive safely.