Work On Bonin Road In Youngsville Delayed A Bit By Weather

At least five or six months.  That's the best answer Youngsville Mayor Wilson Viator can give KPEL when speaking to us about the continued widening project on Bonin Road.

Viator says he knows that people are frustrated, but once the project is done, the roadway will be so much better than what was there in the past.  He says that bad weather has slowed the project down some, but he hopes that the roadway will be finished and completely open by some time this summer.

" It's going, uh, the weather hasn't been very nice to us.  We're progressing, uh, as well as we can with the weather. I just came from inspecting it and they're working out there and they are trying to get the drainage put in. We have this temporary road that we are having to live with until we can get at least half of the road poured in cement. Once the drainage is in we should be pouring cement shortly, but it's going to be a long process and it's going to take time.  I know it's inconvenient, but we're just hoping that everyone will just bear with us and where we will have a nice fine road when we are finished."

There will be some major changes to Bonin Road as it will be wider, have new drainage and sidewalks. But, how long will it take? Viator had this to say,

"Really the contract is for nine months, but that includes Bonin Road and Chemin Metairie and we've decided that we are going to complete Bonin Road before we move onto Chemin Metairie, so because we are splitting up the two projects now we're probably going to have to extend some of that work time for the contractors, but since they are using all their time on Bonin Road right now, we should get that done quicker. You know I'm hoping to have Bonin completed within, you know, five or six months at the latest, so hopefully, we will have that done by the summer.  It just all depends on the weather."

Back in January at least seven drivers had tires that were blown out after a day and night of heavy rain made a pothole bigger on Bonin Road.  Viator told KPEL at the time that  says for he believes that speed was a factor with so many people getting flat tires.  It prompted him to make an immediate change.  He told KPEL at the time, "We are going to close the road.  We are only going to allow local traffic on Bonin Road between Highway 92 and Fortune Road.  I'm sorry, but people will not slow down, so that is what we must do."

Now, things have calmed down, Wilson comments,

"Since we pulled out the existing asphalt and put down limestone basically people are uh, people are having to slow down, uh if you like your car, you need to slow down. It's not like riding on an asphalt road, but it's a good safe road, it's a good safe foundation we just asking people, of course it's only open for local traffic, if you don't live on Bonin Road, please use Chemin Metairie, highway 89 or 339 to head north, south into Lafayette and avoid Bonin Road"

After completion of the work on Bonin, the next area that will get attention is Chemin Metairie Road.  Viator tells KPEL the widening of that road will be next up, but again, the project will take months to complete, and he hopes that Youngsville citizens, and those who pass through the town will have patience as the work is completed.

"Chemin Metairie is going to be very similar, for a large portion of it we'll be curve and guttering it and widening it and filling in the ditches and making it a lot prettier and safer.  Also on Bonin Road we'll along with the curve and gutter we'll be putting in a sidewalk the length of Bonin Road, and we are doing on the same on Chemin Metairie, so it's going to be a very nice road with sidewalks when we finish. But, like I said we gonna have to go through a little pain before we see a beautiful road."