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Iberia Parish votes to boost Economic Development District funding for Port of Iberia road
Summary
After an engineering presentation, the council amended EDD funding and approved an increase to support reconstruction of two industrial roads serving the Port of Iberia. The project team recommended a $5.48M ‘Option 3’; the council added $900,000 to the EDD allocation, bringing the parish contribution to $2.25M inclusive of earlier appropriations.
Craig Romero, executive director of the Port of Iberia, told the Iberia Parish EDD and council that two industrial access roads (David Bayrod Road and Cornelius Voorhees Road) require reconstruction to support heavy, oversized loads and reduce ongoing maintenance costs. Romero presented three engineering options and recommended the least-disruptive, least-cost plan — described in the packet as "Option 3" — with an estimated construction cost of $5,480,000. "This road's gonna be stronger," Romero said, describing a design target to carry 120,000-pound loads and a finished roadway 24 feet wide with paved shoulders, which he said would extend the road's service life.
The project team told the council the parish had secured $2,500,000 in state support and the parish had already appropriated $750,000. Romero said that combination still left an estimated gap "between 800,000 and 900,000" to fully fund Option 3 and asked the council to consider increasing the EDD allocation. Council member Michael Landry moved to add $900,000 to the previously proposed $1,350,000 EDD contribution; the motion was seconded and the amendment carried after roll-call voting.
Council members and the engineer discussed technical trade-offs, focusing on the structural benefit of a 6-foot paved asphalt shoulder versus aggregate shoulders, and whether narrower shoulders (3–4 feet) could save money without creating future maintenance problems. The engineer cautioned that narrower paved widths would require a mix of asphalt and aggregate that could produce long-term maintenance issues.
Administration and the finance director said the parish has fund-balance capacity to cover the additional appropriation; the presentation also noted a potential federal infrastructure application (an $18,000,000 federal request) and a separate $15,000,000 capital outlay request for broader port roads. Romero outlined a compressed schedule: finalize option and bid package in November, award in December and begin construction in January.
The council voted to amend the EDD fund resolution so the EDD allocation for the Port of Iberia road project reflects the added $900,000 (the EDD line now reads $2,250,000 in the record). The ordinance altering EDD boundaries and authorizing the levy of a sales tax in new areas was introduced for publication to be considered at the next EDD meeting.
What happens next: If funding remains in place and bidding proceeds on the schedule Romero described, the administration expects to advertise in November, award in December and mobilize contractors for a January start. The council recorded the amendment and advanced the project toward bid-ready status.
