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Iberia Parish approves $1.35M for Port road project; council debates shoulder design and total cost
Summary
Council approved a $1.35 million ED1 budget amendment to help rebuild port‑area roads but members debated three design options (concrete shoulders vs. aggregate) that would raise total parish contributions to as much as roughly $2.23 million if full concrete shoulders are chosen.
The Iberia Parish Council approved a $1,350,000 amendment to the Economic Development District No. 1 budget to fund part of a proposed Port of Iberia road project, but council members and staff said a decision remains on how much more the parish will contribute to finance wider shoulders and other design options.
Parish staff presented three cost options when discussing bids for the project: a full design with 6‑foot concrete pavement shoulders and a "glass pave" finish at roughly $5.48 million total; an option with 6‑foot aggregate shoulders plus glass pave at about $3.28 million; and a lower option (aggregate shoulders, no glass pave) at about $3.02 million. Parish staff said the Port already has approximately $2.5 million in capital outlay and the parish previously contributed $750,000; the $1.35 million approved would be applied toward the remainder.
Parish President Larry Richard and council members discussed tradeoffs: concrete shoulders increase upfront cost but can extend pavement life and reduce long‑term maintenance. "If we're gonna do the project, let's do it right and get the longevity of the project," one councilmember said, urging investment now to avoid repeated repairs. Other members urged caution, noting the $1.35 million will not cover the most expensive option and asked staff to return with clarifying engineering information and whether additional TIF or port contributions are feasible.
Council scheduled further discussion at the next meeting and asked staff to invite the Port’s project director to explain bid details and to confirm potential matching funds or capital outlay.
