BREAUX BRIDGE — After years of wear and tear and being all but left for dead, the Bayou Teche Bridge in Breaux Bridge will soon get new life.
The city was originally awarded $1.5 million from the Department of Transportation and Development, but recently Mayor Ricky Calais was informed that an additional $3.2 million in federal funds was added to the project. According to Mayor Calais, because the bridge has a historical designation, it can't just be touched up but instead must be restored to its original condition.
"It's well needed, you can see by looking at the bridge it's not in great shape so hopefully this will bring it up to date and then once that's done, we'll bring in the local artist Demo that did the the artwork on the top of the bridge, the crawfish and the welcome note that it has in French and English. We'll have him come in and update that," Calais tells KATC.
While there is not definite start date for the project, it is expected to begin in the next several weeks. It is also unknown how long the project will take or if there will be any long or short term closures.
