Residents say road is derelict

Two residents on Victoria-Riverside Road in the Patterson area complained to the St. Mary Parish Council about the condition of the road.
Greg Rochel told the council that “I know we’re doing some things, just not enough. The lighting that you put in, and everything that you did try to do, I appreciate but over the last five years…the road has gotten tremendously worse.”
Rochel said he’s spoken to members of the council and other individuals, and “two or three” told him that, “We knew what we were buying when we bought out there,” in reference to the road’s issues.
He was also told that “the lots were cheap,” which he took as insinuating that “we were cheap for living or buying out there…in the last five years I’ve paid $1,000 a road foot I paid that property.”
Rochel said he has made major improvements to his property, but “the road doing to the dump is better than what we live on. Alice C Road has almost zero residents, we have 50 or so, Cotton Road is a better road.”
There have been multiple auto wrecks due to the road’s condition, he added, and that the 5.5 mile road has been reverted back to a limestone base. “It’s worse now than it was,” Rochel said, noting that school children in buses use that section.
Parish President David Hanagriff said he would “love to do the entire road, right now we’re doing three miles” and there is no funding for the rest at this time for the remainder.
Councilman Scott Ramsey, whose district the road is located, said “we certainly aware of, and I will work to do whatever reasonably can be done…can I promise you we’re going to do it? No, sir, I can’t, but I promise we can try.”
Rochel invited Ramsey to visit the road during a rain event to see the issues in person.
Also speaking was Farley Matte, said holes were normally patched as they emerged but “the road’s deteriorating faster than they can keep it up.”
He said he spoke to a councilman about the problem and was told that “the road is going to be done in two phases” after engineering studies, letting bids, etc., with work proceeding in six months, which Matte said is up.
Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange reiterated that this is currently no funding for the final section of the road. He said there was a “seal coating” and pea gravel applied several years ago, which is now failing. He said it will be reapplied after the weather warms.