DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / September 25, 2000

SOUTH VACHERIE – For nearly 20 years careful drivers and emergency crews have dreaded the traffic on Louisiana Highway 20. The narrow stretchbetween South Vacherie and Thibodaux has had a legacy of bad accidents. Ittook some doing, but the Department of Transportation and Development has finally agreed to make the highway safe for drivers.

Earlier in September Sandra Himel, 48, lost control of her car which overturned in the canal running parallel on the west side of the highway.

Himel was underwater for nearly 15 minutes and resuscitated 20 minutes after the accident. Himel, still in critical condition, reminded the people ofVacherie how dangerous their local highway is.

“The trouble with the highway is that the road is elevated higher than the surrounding area,” said Jody Chenier, St. James Parish director ofoperations. With the canal on the west side and the east side being so muchlower it can cause a real mess, he added.

Adding to the problem is the fact the road is too narrow to add reflective paint to the sides of the road, which adds to the difficulty at night. Cars canslip off the east edge, overcorrect to get back on the road and end up in the canal, which is what reportedly happened to Himel.

Around six accidents a year occur that are reported or in which emergency crews are called, said Chenier. At least two have resulted in fatalities, headded.

DOTD has given the highway the status of one of the most dangerous in the state, but so far no money could be budgeted for repair.

“The state is strapped for money, but this should have been corrected a long time ago,” said Chenier. As the population between Thibodaux and Vacherieincreases, more and more traffic travels in between.

“It used to be 100 vehicles a day; now it’s past 100 an hour,” he added. Theparish council has written letters and made appearances before committees asking for help.

Finally, the community found a way to get DOTD to listen. It took voices andthe will of a community focused toward one urgent purpose. Tuesday night,300 to 400 people gathered for a public meeting to discuss the problem. St.James Parish President Dale Hymel, councilmen Jimmy Brazan and Elton Aubert, head of DOTD Gordon Nelson and other officials met with the citizens to find a way for the highway to be redone.

At the end of the meeting Nelson said the DOTD did not have the funds to pay for widening La. 20 and he was not able to promise anything. ByWednesday morning, though, Nelson had found a way to make a promise to the St. James Parish Council.Using money from an emergency safety and maintenance fund, DOTD has $1.4 million to start the project. Nelson stated later in the afternoon thatthe project should begin in five or six months, Brazen told other members of the parish council Wednesday.

The road will be repaved, widened by 12-16 inches on each side, and a 2 foot aggregate shoulder will be added, said Brazan. This will also allow thereflective paint to be added to the sides of the road, thus making the edge of the highway more visible to night drivers.

“This is one time people made a difference. You can’t put 300 to 400 peoplein a building and not see that you need to do something,” said Brazan with a grin.

Chenier agreed, saying, “This is an example of when people pull together and join forces you can get action.”

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