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STATE REPAIRS ROAD: A state Department of Transportation and Development crew was on American Legion Drive / Zaunbrecher Road late last week replacing a section of the roadway that had developed a crack after the state Road Transfer Program was completed. The state repaired and upgraded the road — a state highway — from Second Street to U.S. Highway 90 then transferred ownership, part to the city of Rayne and part to the parish of Acadia. The fault was discovered after the crews had left the area. (Acadian-Tribune photo by Steve Bandy)

State fixes road; city accepts ownership

Use of ‘Road Transfer Credits’ to be tweaked

RAYNE - More than 100 feet of American Legion Drive / Zaunbrecher Road has been stripped and replaced by the state Department of Transportation and Development.
The road was part of a state Road Transfer program completed earlier this year whereby the state repairs a substandard, state-maintained roadway then, upon completion, transfers ownership — along with any future maintenance needs — to the municipality or parish in which the road is located.
In this case, part of American Legion Drive / Zaunbrecher Road is located within the city limits of Rayne and part outside the corporate boundaries and, thus, the responsibility of the parish police jury.
Unfortunately, shortly after the state completed the work on the road, a crack appeared in the surface located within the city limits.
With authorization from the council, Mayor Charles “Chuck” Robichaux declined to accept ownership of the road or the $313,000 in “Road Transfer credits” that went along with it, until the flaw was corrected.
The $313,000 in “credits” is mandated to be used for other street repairs as decided by the city.
Under this “credit” approach, the city does not directly receive the money form the state. Rather, DOTD provides the professional engineering services required to complete the construction plans, bids the project(s) and sees the projects through construction.
In January, 2016, the council submitted a resolution to LDOTD authorizing a list of five roadways in the city limits to be repaired through the program.
Those included:
• West Jeff Davis Avenue from The Boulevard to the city limits (about 3,500 linear feet) at a cost of $176,000;
• Edgewood Subdivision (Edgewood Avenue from La. Highway 35, all subdivision roads and the cul-de-sac — about 2,805 linear feet) at a cost of $192,000;
• E Street from Polk Street to Windsor Place (about 300 linear feet) at a cost of $37,000;
• Reynolds Avenue from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard toward West Oak Street (about 450 linear feet) at a cost of $36,000; and
• Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Section Avenue to Malvern Avenue (about 1,270 linear feet) at a cost of $68,000.
Since that time, however, Edgewood Avenue has deteriorated to such a state that the city’s engineer, Tim Mader, told council members he fears a complete reconstruction may be required, a project that would likely nearly triple the estimated cost.
At the August council meeting, Mader said core samples would be taken along Edgewood Avenue and possibly along other streets within the subdivision to determine the cause and extent of damage.
Meanwhile, another Road Transfer Project approved by the state — East Jeff Davis Avenue from The Boulevard to the city limits — will result in an additional $690,000 in “credits” for the city, bringing the total available to $1.003 million.
At its September meeting, the council is expected to consider a second resolution adding additional streets to the list to be repaired using the DOTD “credit” program.
“This is a win-win for us,” said Robichaux. “Because the city will likely be needing to implement a city-wide street improvement project within the next four to five years, it will be beneficial for us to reduce that future program cost as much as possible by improving as many streets as possible with this DOTD funding.”

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