Streets all over New Iberia are in the middle of being renovated as the New Iberia Streets Program continues in full effect around the city.

Asphalt overlay construction around New Iberia has been ongoing for almost a year as part of a $12 million program by the New Iberia City Council and Mayor Freddie DeCourt’s administration that aims to repair some of the worst roads in New Iberia.

DeCourt said that the asphalt portion of the streets program is 60% done, and the concrete portion of the project is just beginning.

“That doesn’t mean 60% of the roads are done, there are some things still hanging but overall we are 60% done,” DeCourt said.

Berard, Habetz & Associates, the engineering firm that was contracted to work on the project, currently has about 36 New Iberia roads or portions of roads that are in the midst of construction.

Those include roads near densely packed residential areas like Twenty Arpent, Deare Street, Juanita Street, Brian Street, Glenn Street, Mink Street and Vera Lane. Streets with heavy road traffic are also included such as Anderson Street, Ambassador West Lemelle Drive, Field Street, Lombard Street and Fulton Street.

Once the asphalt overlays are completed, work on concrete repairs to another list of roads will begin as the second phase of the New Iberia Streets Program.

Work on the project began in 2021 when Berard, Habetz & Associates were contracted to survey New Iberia roads to find the ones that were in the most need of immediate repair. Following that survey, which lasted the duration of that year, a priority list was formed that became the basis of the streets program.

The New Iberia Streets Program was able to be funded thanks to a $12 million bond floated by the city.

Although the program is working to correct some of the severest road damage in the city, DeCourt said in the past that the project will not be able to put a serious dent in New Iberia’s road problems.

DeCourt and the City Council went to the ballot last year in the hopes of rededicating a millage that currently goes to sewer debt and instead use it for continued road maintenance, which would have given the city a funding source to continue to take care of New Iberia roads.

However, the item narrowly failed at the ballot with most voters choosing not to proceed with the rededication.