After 11 years, progress on Berwick sidewalks

It's taking a while — more than decade — but Berwick appears to be making progress with its plans for sidewalk work in the downtown area.

The $202,382.40 project showed up Tuesday on a list of projects for which bids have been received by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

The town was first notified it would get the funding in 2011, Chief Administrative Officer Newell “Bubba” Slaughter said.

In an email Wednesday, DOTD Public Information Officer Brandie Richardson Bordelon said funding wasn’t the cause of the delay.

“It was in the plan development phase,” Bordelon wrote. “Prelim-inary plans were not originally submitted until 2014, with more additional submittals added the following years that included comments and revisions.”

The streets targeted by the sidewalk plans include Sixth, Oregon, Jeddo, Ceylon and Fourth.

In another project of local interest, the DOTD says it has received a low bid of $136,521,559.76 for a new interchange at U.S. 90 and Ambassador Caffery Parkway in Lafayette Parish, part of plans to upgrade U.S. 90 into Interstate 49 South from Lafayette to New Orleans.

Plans for I-49 South will eventually include eliminating crossover intersections from Calumet to the Atchafalaya.