Massive sidewalk expansion project in progress
Published 3:45 am Friday, July 1, 2022
- A completed sidewalk on Dale Street near its intersection on Jefferson Terrace is already being frequently used by local residents walking home or traveling to nearby New Iberia Senior High.
A massive expansion of sidewalk access is in progress on Dale Street as a construction company continues for the project.
The New Iberia City Council awarded a $275,670 bid in April to Southern Constructors for the sidewalk project, which stretches from Dale Street at its intersection with Jefferson Terrace Avenue to its intersection with Bank Avnue.
The one-mile stretch will add pedestrian access in the center of New Iberia. The area regularly has heavy pedestrian traffic as a result of nearby residential areas, businesses and the postal office.
Mayor Freddie DeCourt said the project was proceeding as planned, and workers were moving at an even more rapid pace than expected.
“It’s going really well,” DeCourt said. “Our public works has had to help in a few drainage cases but at the pace they’re going I would expect it to be done in about a month.”
The project came about thanks to the CARES Act, whose funds were distributed to each New Iberia City Council person with the purpose of allotting projects for each district.
Council members David Broussard, Deidre Ledbetter and Deedy Johnson-Reid, who represent Districts 3, 4 and 5, all contributed to paying for the project with their allotted CARES Act funds.
Each district contributed $50,000 each for the project, with the city’s general fund contributing the rest of the funds for the sidewalks.
DeCourt said during the April council meeting that the project was one of the first times in recent memory that city government has attempted sidewalk renovations within the city of New Iberia.
Other projects are also being considered for sidewalk improvements, including adding a sidewalk near Pesson Elementary as part of the state Safe Routes to School program.
Additional recent projects from the city include the expansion of the splash pad located at West End Park, which was recently approved by the council. Although the project is ready to begin, DeCourt said work to expand the splash pad will likely get started in August so that local residents can use the current splash pad during the summer.
