BROUSSARD, La. — Broussard is undergoing a major construction plan to revitalize the downtown area. Phase two of this plan is focusing on a key intersection in the city.
The project closed down the intersection at Main Street and Morgan Avenue.
KATC spoke with Hollie Girouard, owner of Ton's Drive-In for nearly a decade, about the impact of road closures and construction possibly impacting multiple businesses, including hers, near the redevelopment site.
“We are super excited about the project itself. We are just in the first few days of it—just trying to figure out how to communicate with our costumers about how to access the property and just working on those kinks now," she said.
Ton's Drive-In provided a map to help customers navigate road closures and detours, ensuring they can easily find their way to the delicious food they have been serving since 1963.
Ton's Drive In
"We have customers that have a hard time getting here. At the very beginning of construction, we had our employees have a hard time accessing our parking lot once they left for deliveries," said Girouard.
This is the final phase of the Envision Broussard Downtown Redevelopment Plan, which will add multi-use ADA compliant sidewalks, enhanced lighting and improved drainage.
City officials said, once complete, the final phase of the Envision Broussard Downtown Redevelopment Plan will look like the image you see below.
The construction work has caused several necessary detour routes and road closures around the businesses.
"We did as much preparing as we could to make sure stakeholders and business owners were ready for this part of the project," said Broussard Mayor Ray Bourque.
He acknowledged the difficulties local businesses might face while trying to maintain everyday operations during the construction period.
"It's gonna be an inconvenience, and it's gonna be little painful while construction is going on," Bourque stated. "So I'm asking everyone in Broussard to do everything they can to patronize those businesses."
Dustin Delcambre, the owner of Mobility Plus, a medical equipment supplier located near the construction zone, also expressed mixed feelings about the ongoing updates.
"It's definitely creating some problems for people coming from the highway to get here. They're having to find alternate routes. In the long run, I think it's going to be great, but in the short term, given how many weeks this will last, it's definitely creating some issues for customers getting here. It's a good thing that we're going to do it. It's just something we have to deal with in the meantime," he said.
Despite the challenges and the altered views outside the restaurant, Ton's will continue to do what they do best: serve the community.
"We are really excited about the downtown project and we can’t wait to see the final product. We hope the community and the customers give us little bit grace. I think downtown can be the real heartbeat of a community,” Girouard told KATC.
Mayor Bourque estimates that construction at the intersection will take about 60 days to complete.
