The U.S. Clean Water Act as ammended in 1972 forms the basis for regulation of activities in wetlands and waters of the United States. Any entity, public or private, individual or corporate, who intends to work, discharge, dredge or fill material into wetlands or waters of the United States must first obtain a permit to do so.
A right-of-way (ROW) is a type of easement granted or reserved over the land for transportation purposes, such as a highway, public sidewalk, or bike path. ROWs may also be established for utility purposes such as drainage ditches or pipes, electrical transmission lines, telecommunications lines, or oil and gas pipelines.
Progress is visible around Ascension Parish as construction crews make way for roadway improvements. Here are several projects where “Clearing & Grubbing” work is occurring at this time.
The Ashland - St Landry Connector is a brand new road designed and constructed as part of the Move Ascension program. The half-mile road connects South St. Landry Ave. to Ashland Road just above Lamar Dixon Expo Center. Click below to watch this short video featuring drone footage of the project.
Roundabouts have been gaining popularity in Louisiana over the past fifteen years. Statewide, 52 had been constructed on state or local routes as of February 2019, with 116 more proposed! Roundabouts are also called “continuous flow” intersections because they eliminate the traffic light and allow vehicles to continue moving, slowly and carefully, through the intersection. Safety is greatly improved as officials have documented large reductions in crash-related injuries or fatalities.
Move Ascension projects are partially paid for by a portion of sales tax and from $25 million in municipal bond sales, in addition to State funding through DOTD. Move Ascension is designed to work in collaboration with state highway improvements to provide capacity upgrades for parish corridors that see high usage.
Elected officials and government employees are often asked “Why do road improvements take so long?” There are many reasons, and many correct responses because there are numerous steps in the construction or expansion of a street, bike lane, sidewalk, or even road signs or streetlights. The steps vary depending on the size and type of road, what it connects, and where it is located. Many people representing different areas of expertise must contribute their skills and knowledge to the process.
In 2018-19 Ascension Parish Government worked with key stakeholders, parish residents, and with transportation planners to develop a master plan for transportation infrastructure improvements in Ascension Parish. Work was accomplished in three phases by first identifying transportation needs, secondly developing solutions to address those needs, and lastly to refine and prioritize these solutions in a plan.
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