Enterprise Blvd., La. 1 enhancement projects underway

Two long-awaited construction projects are getting underway in the Plaquemine area – Enterprise Boulevard South and a La. 1 enhancement project.

Contractor BJM Construction of Ascension Parish started last Thursday clearing the right of way for the continuation of Enterprise Boulevard, Parish President J. Mitchell Ourso Jr. announced.

“I'm glad to have that becoming a reality,” the parish president said.

The new road will extend from the Enterprise Bridge on Bayou Road near the Iberville Parish Jail to Belleview Road at Tenant Road. The new cross town street is expected to spur development in the area.

The contract with BJM is for $1.3 million for a concrete roadway. Completion is expected by the end of the year. The state reallocated $1 million left from the construction of Enterprise Boulevard North in the Choctaw Area to the extension.

Plaquemine Mayor Mark A. “Tony” Gulotta said the state finally cleared a contractor to begin work on the La. 1 Enhancement Project today (Thursday)

The $300,000 project, 90 percent funded by the state, includes sidewalks and landscaping on the south side of Bayou Plaquemine across from Waterfront Park, as well as sidewalks and landscaping from Plaquemine Street to Eden Street.

“It's going to be a nice project,” the mayor said. “It's a project we've been working on for six years.”

Gulotta said the city got the funding in June 2005, just before Hurricane Katrina hit. The city hired a contractor in November; after various delays, the state finally approved the start of work.

The project will take about 90 days.