Road Construction Projects Happening in Lafayette, Louisiana During the Thanksgiving/Christmas Holiday Season

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - As the holiday season begins in Lafayette, so will a couple of important traffic projects in the Hub City.

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• What Construction Projects are Happening in Lafayette, Louisiana This Week?

• What Road Construction Projects are Happening During the Holiday Season in Lafayette, Louisiana?

• What Road Construction Projects are Scheduled to Happen at the Beginning of 2024 in Lafayette, Louisiana?

We will take a look at two projects scheduled to begin during the holiday season but, first, let's inform you of road construction projects happening now.

Kaliste Saloom Road Intersection Closes in Lafayette, Louisiana

Sewer infrastructure construction is the reason for one Kaliste Saloom Road intersection to be closed this week.

From now through Friday, November 17th, Lafayette Consolidated Government crews are closing Kaliste Saloom's intersection with Steiner Road. Detour routes will be available and local access will be maintained.

Lafayette Utilities System Construction Closes Robley Drive Intersection

The intersection of Robley Drive and Gerald Drive is closed from Wednesday, November 15, through Friday, November 17, as LUS crews will perform ongoing infrastructure construction in the area.

Detour routes will be available and local access will be maintained.

REMINDER: Lake Farm Extension Project Connecting Kaliste Saloom Road to Settlers Trace Boulevard

For anyone who has driven through Ambassador Caffery Parkway at its intersection with Kaliste Saloom Road in Lafayette, you know how constant busy traffic is in this area that is booming with current and future businesses.

Well, construction designed to address the traffic and future development readiness concerns is happening as Lafayette Consolidated Government workers are extending Lake Farm Road from Kaliste Saloom to Settlers Trace Boulevard.

During this first phase of construction, LCG officials say the new road will provide the following:

• Enhance Accessibility
• Provide an Alternative Route
• Alleviate Traffic on Kaliste Saloom and Ambassador Caffery
• Pave the Way for Future Development

Local officials say the construction won't affect travel on Settlers Trace during the holiday shopping season between Black Friday and after the new year. Phase 1 is expected to be completed in late 2024.

Phase 2 will extend the road from Frem Boustany Drive to Verot School Road. This is expected to start late next year.

Here are the 2 Projects Scheduled to Begin During the Holiday Season in Lafayette, Louisiana

Let's start with another project involving Lake Farm Road: the Bluebird Drive Extension. This project is set to extend Bluebird Drive from Lake Farm Road to Frem Boustany Drive, which do a better job of connecting driver, riders, and pedestrians in that Comeaux Recreation Center/Our Lady of Lourdes area.

The new corridor section will include the following:

• Pedestrian sidwalks
• Bike lanes
• Raised pedestrian crossings with flashing beacons

This $2.1 Million project is scheduled to start in mid-December and last for about eight months.

Next, we head to the northern part of Lafayette Parish - Carencro - for the Gayle Road Reconstruction Project. This $2.5 Million project will provide a new, widened asphalt roadway over the existing gravel on Gayle Road (highlighted in blue) from Dillon Road to Cutacross Road.

LCG workers will also re-grade the ditches to address drainage. And, a new storm drain system will be added that will outfall to new pipe culverts across the Bayou Carencro crossing.

This project is scheduled to start on Christmas Eve and last until April of 2025.

REMINDER: Start Date Released for Construction on Dangerous Intersection in Lafayette, Louisiana

As construction continues on busy roads across Lafayette including Johnston Street and Pinhook Road, just to name a couple, there is one intersection I've been sounding the alarm about since February 2022 - E. Broussard Road at Robley Drive Extension. Currently, this is one of the most dangerous intersections in Lafayette. It sits on the line dividing the City of Lafayette and the unincorporated parts of the parish.

As someone who used to live in one of the neighborhoods off of the Robley Drive Extension, it is a nightmare trying to make a left turn from Robley onto E. Broussard.

The dangerousness of that intersection has had others calling for it to be addressed as well.

They need a roundabout at this intersection. One of the worse in the parish.

They need to put stop signs or a light till they decide if they will put round a bout. There was an accident in same place yesterday.

E. Broussard Road has benefited from the construction on Kaliste Saloom as the two now share a super roundabout that has helped improve the flow of traffic in the area. E. Broussard sits between two major roadways in Johnston Street and Kaliste Saloom.

That - combined with the fact that there are many neighborhoods built off the Robley Drive extension that goes all the way into Vermilion Parish - lends itself to lots of traffic passing through that intersection. Workers put in a left turning lane on Robley. That helped but it didn't solve the problem. Drivers coming off of Robley are forced to wait long amounts of time as the traffic passing between Johnston and Kaliste Saloom goes whizzing by. Often, it makes for a very stressful situation as the traffic on Robley - and E. Broussard - tends to build up during peak traffic times and drivers begin honking their horns trying to rush other drivers onto E. Broussard so they aren't waiting for an unnecessarily long time.

When Will Construction Start on the E. Broussard/Robley Drive Roundabout in Lafayette, Louisiana?

The start date for construction on the E. Broussard/Robley Drive Roundabout has been released as construction is set to begin on January 15, 2024! The project is scheduled to last through nearly most of 2024 and completed on November 10, 2024. According to geauxlafayette.com, construction is estimated to cost $2.5 Million with the Project Cost set for $2.75 Million.

The benefits of the new E. Broussard/Robley Drive Roundabout is expected to have numerous positive effects on traffic in the area:

• A reduction in serious crashes due to a reduction of conflict points
• An increase in traffic capacity
• Improved operational performance
• Promotion of lower speeds
• Traffic calming
• A decrease in wait times

What Other Lafayette Intersections Are Scheduled To Begin Roundabout Construction In 2024?

Two other roundabouts are scheduled for Lafayette intersections in 2024.

W. Broussard Road at Duhon Road

This is an intersection that jams up very easily. As someone who has driven through this intersection many times, the 4-way stop is just simply not enough to accommodate the traffic flowing through this area anymore.

When traffic jams up on Johnston Street, many drivers look to this area as a detour and a roundabout would certainly help not only the flow of traffic but the safety of it as well.

Duhon Road at Rue Du Belier

Last, but not least, the third roundabout scheduled for Lafayette is at this intersection - Duhon Road at Rue Du Belier. It's just down the road from Duhon Road's intersection with W. Broussard Road and is also an area that is in need of better traffic flow.

Trying to make a left turn from Rue Du Belier onto Duhon Road is very difficult and can be unnecessarily time-consuming.

New Roundabout to Connect Youngsville and Broussard

Speaking of roundabouts, a new two-lane roundabout is being constructed at the intersection of the Youngsville Highway (LA-89) and Fortune Road in Youngsville. Then, a new roadway will be built off of that new roundabout, connecting it to the roundabout already built at the intersection of Fairfield Road and S. Bernard Road in Broussard.

(Current map of the area including the intersection of the Youngsville Highway (LA-89) and Fortune Road & the roundabout at Fairfield Road and S. Bernard Road)

Below you can see the rendering of what the project will look like when it's completed.

Also, two existing roundabouts - the roundabout that connects Chemin Metairie and Guillot Road and the roundabout that connects Chemin Metarie and Milton Avenue - will be getting redesigned with additional lanes added to support the increased traffic in the area.

Whether you love them or hate them, more roundabouts are coming to Lafayette Parish.