DOTD breaks ground on La. 16 widening project
Friday, October 12, 2007 at 12:00:00 AM

DENHAM SPRINGS, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) broke ground today on a project to widen La. 16 between Denham Springs and Watson. The more than 25,000 drivers who use this road each day can expect some relief partly because of the surplus funds received from the 2007 Legislative Session.

            “We are removing a bottleneck that frustrates the people driving between Denham Springs and Watson,” said DOTD Undersecretary Michael Bridges. “We thank the governor and the legislature for providing the additional funds necessary to fix our roads, and we are here today putting that money to work.”

            The 2-mile project on La. 16 is the first surplus funded capacity project in this area. The project will widen La. 16 from just north of La. 1025 to just south of La. 1019. The road will increase from two lanes to four lanes with a raised median. The new lanes will be 12 feet wide with 10-foot outside shoulders and 6-foot inside shoulders. A $7.7 million contract was awarded to Barriere Construction Co. LLC of Franklinton.

Speakers at the groundbreaking included Bridges; State Sen. Huelette “Clo” Fontenot; State Rep. Mack A. “Bodi” White Jr.; and Livingston Parish President Michael “Mike” Grimmer.

DOTD will hold a public meeting on the project Tuesday, Nov. 6, from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Faith Family Church at 34401 Highway 16 in Denham Springs. Representatives from DOTD will be in attendance to provide information about the project and answer any questions.

Throughout the project, the DOTD Customer Service Center will provide e-mail updates on the project’s progress as well as a call center for questions and concerns regarding the project. For questions, or to sign up for e-mail updates, contact the DOTD Customer Service Center at 1-877-4LA-DOTD (1-877-452-3683) or e-mail customerservice@dotd.la.gov.

To learn more about the job, visit the project’s Web page at www.dotd.la.gov. Click on “Programs and Projects” in the main menu on the left-hand side of the page, select projects, then select the “La. 16 Widening Project” link.

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www.dotd.la.gov