Residents of rural Washington Parish may have noticed road paving taking place.
The Parish Government is currently paving a list of roads as part of its annual resurfacing program.
Public Works Director Alex Sumrall said he is pleased about the road repaving that has been done so far this year, and he added that there is more to come.
He said the parish tries to resurface 20 to 30 roads every year, with about half of that being done by parish work crews and half being assigned to outside asphalt contractors.
“Many people don’t realize that the Parish Government is responsible for about 1,000 miles of roads,” Sumrall said.
He said the parish will continue to resurface roads as long as funds are available.
Roads to be resurfaced are selected by parish council members and road supervisors. Sumrall said criteria includes the amount of work needed on a particular road as well as the traffic volume and, of course, safety factors.
“We have a vision that one day every single road in the parish will be overlayed,” he said.
Some citizens have complained about overweight trucks on parish roads, with a concern that the trucks could be causing increased wear and tear.
Sumrall said most weight limits in the parish are for bridges. He said the parish has a code enforcer who monitors roads and bridges.
But, he noted, “It is hard for him to see everything, so if someone sees heavy trucks going over a parish bridge that has a low weight limit, please contact us at Parish Government. Our main concern is the safety of our citizens and the safety of the roads they drive on.”
