BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) will hold a public meeting to discuss the Weeks Island Bridge (Stumpy Bayou Bridge) project located on LA 83 in Iberia Parish, just south of the town of Lydia.

The meeting will be held at the Lydia Veteran’s Building, Thursday, February 17 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at 7207 Weeks Island Road, New Iberia, La 70560 (Building between Lydia Cancer Society and Fire Station).

This meeting will allow the public to learn more about the $16.8 million project and to sign-up to receive periodic e-mail updates on the project’s progression. Representatives from DOTD and Gilchrist Construction Co. LLC will be in attendance to provide information on the project and answer any questions.

DOTD decided to close the bridge Jan. 26, 2011 when it was determined by inspectors that it could not safely sustain traffic. The bridge had been opened while a new replacement bridge was being built. DOTD has determined that the immediate removal of the existing bridge and accelerated construction of the new bridge is the best course of action.  This work will take approximately four months until reopening of the LA 83. 

For questions or to sign up to receive periodic e-mail updates about the project, contact DOTD’s Customer Service Center at 1-877-4LA-DOTD (1-877-452-3683) or by e-mail at dotdcs@la.gov. The center is open 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

www.dotd.la.gov

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