U.S. 90 repairs to start Tuesday in Morgan City-Amelia

As road work on U.S. 90 nears completion from Calumet to Berwick, state officials are about to start a two-month project to make roadway repairs from Morgan City to Amelia.

U.S. 90, from the east side of the Atchafalaya River bridge in Morgan City to the west side of the Bayou Boeuf bridge in Amelia, will have alternating lane closures in the east and west lanes beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday until Jan. 30, 2018, weather permitting, according to a Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development news release.

Alternating lane closures are necessary to allow crews to perform roadway repairs to improve safety.

The road will be open to regular traffic with a 12-foot lane restriction on oversized loads passing through the work zone.

As part of a routine roadway maintenance project, workers will replace asphalt in two areas and regrade the asphalt to eliminate hydroplaning, said state Rep. Sam Jones, D-Franklin.

Additionally, workers will improve the ride along the highway where there was some differential settlement, Jones said.

Officials are also adding rumble strips to reduce crashes due to vehicles running off the roadway, he said.

The outside lane and shoulder on U.S. 90 east, between Duhon Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, will be closed Monday for tree trimming, a news release said.

Additionally, the outside lane and shoulder on U.S. 90 west, between Duhon Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, will be closed Tuesday for tree trimming.

These closures are estimated to take place from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., weather permitting. There are no restrictions for permit loads.

Work to install temporary traffic safety features, known as J-turns, is scheduled to finish by the end of the year. Construction on the J-turns from Calumet to Berwick began in early 2017. The $16.5 million project included construction of 32 J-turns.

The J-turns are intended to reduce the most severe types of vehicle crashes, referred to as T-bone or right-angle crashes, Jones said.

Eventually, state officials plan to build permanent overpasses at Red Cypress Road near Patterson, Southeast Boulevard in Bayou Vista, Thorguson Road in Berwick and Cotten Road in Patterson. Those overpasses will make the J-turns no longer necessary.

Jones said in September that all four overpasses may be in place within the next five to 10 years if the state Legislature prioritizes that work.

Other upcoming road work in the Tri-City area includes repairs on the U.S. 90 E.J. “Lionel” Grizzaffi Bridge, which will be let for bids by the end of 2018, and the La. 182 Long-Allen Bridge, which will be let for bids by the end of 2019, Jones said.

The state has $18 million to repair the Grizzaffi bridge and $16 million to repair the Long-Allen bridge.