Avoyelles Parish adopts revised road‑priority inventory after two‑year review

The Avoyelles Parish Police Jury voted to adopt a revised road‑priority inventory on May 12 after a committee reviewed the parish’s outdated list and reprioritized routes based on traffic counts and function.

The Chair called up the item and the committee presented a multi‑year review that used Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) counts, Pan American engineers’ input and Google Earth checks to ensure the list captured roads the parish owns. Kevin Borlaug, who led the presentation, said the committee audited the old list and the parish’s roads "and I feel very confident that we have not missed any roads." He told jurors the new inventory focuses on roads that move people and goods rather than exclusively on road condition.

Committee members cited average daily traffic (ADT) figures used to justify placements: Curry Morrow about 2,300 cars per day, Dewey Bernard about 1,900, and MP Cutoff about 1,500. The committee noted some roads were removed because they are private or no longer maintained by the parish, and asked jurors to flag any missing names for follow‑up.

After discussion and clarifications about deletions and mapping anomalies, a juror moved to adopt the inventory; the motion carried by voice vote. The jury said the list will guide prioritization and long‑term reconstruction planning rather than routine maintenance work.

Officials said staff will continue to maintain notes about roads removed for reasons such as private ownership or abandonment and will update the inventory if jurors identify additional discrepancies.