LAFAYETTE — Road construction at the intersection of Guilbeau Road and West Congress Street is causing not just headaches and traffic jams for motorists, but for businesses in the area as well.
Rickey Meche, the owner of Rickey Meche's Donut King on Guilbeau Road, says that summer is already slow at his donut shop, and with the construction taking place, he is worried that his customers won't be able to get to him.
"Two donuts and a cup of coffee every morning, my customers get used to that," he says. "But if they can't get to us then that is going to turn into a honey bun and a cup of coffee at a convenience store down the road."
Meche says that even he had problems getting into his parking lot Tuesday morning.
"It was backed up way back there by the light on Johnston Street," says Meche. "It took me forever just to pull into my parking lot."
Lafayette Consolidated Government's engineer behind the construction, Jared Veazey, says that the plan is to replace the old concrete in the middle of the intersection to make for a smoother ride for drivers. While he agrees that there really is no good time to do road work, he and his team chose summertime for a reason.
"The school buses, as well as UL traffic, isn't nearly as bad, as heavy as it is during standard school months," says Veazey. "We figured that traffic would be a little bit less right now when school is out."
Veazey says that the project is expected to take between three to four weeks to complete, weather permitting. In the meantime, Veazey is asking for drivers, as well as businesses, to be patient.
"We are trying to get in and get out of there," he says. "We have looked at this in many different ways and we feel like this is the most effective way for us to get in and out as quickly as possible."
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