Construction work continues as one-time projects, daily projects, and complete projects are happening across Lafayette.

Vermilion River Bridge over Ambassador Caffery to Close on Sunday

Ambassador at Vermilion River Bridge, google street view
Ambassador at Vermilion River Bridge, google street view
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If your Sunday commute takes you to the Vermilion River Bridge on Ambassador Caffery then you will need to find another route to get to your destination.

Beginning at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 11th, DOTD crews will close the bridge to vehicular traffic as crews perform routine bridge inspection and maintenance. This closure is scheduled to happen all day - until 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning.

Detour Routes

Northbound traffic: Use Verot School Road, LA 92 (Milton Highway), E. Broussard Road, and Johnston Street.

Southbound traffic: Use Johnston Street, E. Broussard Road, the Milton Highway, and Verot School Road.

Bridge on Ole Colony Road to Close for Drainage Improvements

As Lafayette City officials continue to look for ways to improve drainage in our area, they say Ole Colony Road at the bridge will close. Here are some important travel notes to keep in mind during this traffic incident:

  • , Ole Colony Road
  • There will be no thru traffic during construction. Drivers west of the bridge will use Westgate Road, and drivers east of the bridge will use Ambassador Caffery Parkway.
  • Improvements include installing storm drain pipes, and converting open ditch drains to subsurface drains.

Work is scheduled to last two weeks.

Johnston Street Lane Closure

DOTD crews are scheduled to close the left lane of Johnston Street southbound from Sears Drive to Duhon Road beginning Wednesday and lasting until Saturday. This will happen nightly from 9:30 p.m. until 9:00 a.m.

Johnston Street at Duhon Road 2008
Google Maps
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The workers will perform dirt work operations in the median of US 167.

The History Behind Lafayette's Street Names

We drive them on a daily basis. Some are smoother than others. Some we use more frequently than others. Some randomly start, end, and/or change names. They're the streets of Lafayette. The names behind many of these streets have interesting histories. We take a look at where those names come from and the impact their namesakes have had on the city and the parish.

Fighting Fentanyl: Huge Arrests Made Across Acadiana in 2022

The fight against fentanyl is a daunting one as the highly potent drug continues to take lives every day across the country. From Lafayette to the surrounding areas, law enforcement agencies have their hands full as they fight to get fentanly off their respective streets.

The awareness for the fatal causes of fentanyl are there as people across the Acadiana area (and the state) are not only mourning the death of loved ones lost to the substance but are holding memorials and recently worked with legislators to pass "Millie's Law," which increases criminal penalties for those who sale and distribute fentanyl.

Fentanyl has become a leading drug in an epidemic that takes over 100,000 lives each year, according to the CDC. The drug is often added to heroin without it being disclosed to the person buying the drug. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency outlines how dangerous fentanyl has become:

"Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine. Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients, applied in a patch on the skin. Because of its powerful opioid properties, Fentanyl is also diverted for abuse. Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase its potency, or be disguised as highly potent heroin. Many users believe that they are purchasing heroin and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths. Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is primarily manufactured in Mexico."


Let's take a look back at headline-catching cases involving fentanyl in 2022.

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