ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / March 13, 2000

RESERVE – The corner of Central Avenue and River Road in Reserve was blanketed in a cloud of white dust Thursday.

Cars traveling the area were coated in a fine white powder as workers for Barriere Construction Co. laid down a bed of lime to start re-surfacing 7.5miles of Louisiana Highway 44, better known as River Road.

For the past several weeks River Road has undergone a massive transformation as mandated by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

First drivers had to contend with DOTD workers digging up various parts of the roadway to lay down new drainage pipes. Then Barriere workers strippedthe pavement from the road from Central Avenue in Reserve all the way to Gramercy, and cars were treated to an eight-mile ride of uneven, bumpy roadway.

John Spellman, who is overseeing the project for Barriere Construction, said the inconvenience won’t last that long.

“We plan to be finished by the end of May,” said Spellman.

Besides redoing road drainage and surfacing, the project will also raise the roadbed about 3.5 inches, according to Spellman.The first four miles of the project will be a roadway of lime, concrete and asphalt, and the remaining three miles will be regular overlay.

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