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St. Tammany engineers, public works outline $2026 road, bridge and drainage priorities
Summary
Parish engineering and public works directors presented the bulk of the 2026 capital and operations requests Tuesday, highlighting major roadway rehabilitations, bridge load‑rating work, a $11.5 million French Branch pond construction and staffing constraints that slow delivery.
St. Tammany Parish engineering and public works leaders on Tuesday outlined their proposed 2026 capital program, saying permitting, right‑of‑way and limited staff capacity are the main constraints on delivering projects already budgeted.
The parish’s engineering director, Daniel Hill, told the council the capital request includes seven major roadway rehabilitation projects totaling roughly $6.8 million, four more extensive road reconstruction projects totaling about $3.3 million, and a drainage program that includes the French Branch pond expansion, for which Hill said the construction request is $11.5 million. Jay Watson, director of public works, described district capital allocations and operational programs that would support those projects.
Why it matters: the work covers large sections of parish roadways, dozens of off‑system bridges and older subdivisions with chronic drainage problems. Hill said projects that avoid interagency permitting can move from design to construction in about a year, but projects needing federal, state or utility approvals take substantially…
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