Parish President Matthew Jewell, the St. Charles Parish Council and the St. Charles Parish Department of Public Works gathered on Tuesday to celebrate the completion of the Willowdale turn lane improvement.

The project added a right-turn lane and made the intersection of US-90 and Willowdale Boulevard in Luling safer and more efficient for motorists.

“This project enhanced safety at one of our busier intersections,” Jewell said. “Willowdale and Highway 90 often had traffic stacked up during rush hour, so giving residents dedicated turn lanes makes this intersection much more efficient for residents traveling to and from work.”

The improvement was initially estimated to cost taxpayers $1.5 million, but after an in-house engineering analysis, the project was refined, and the final cost was $502,084.

Metal sheet piles were added along the box culverts at the canal, the roadway was widened, a dedicated right turn lane and new guardrails were installed, and the asphalt was striped to accommodate the new lane configuration. Additionally, work was done in the median to adjust the left turn angle so westbound drivers would have a smooth turn to Highway 90.

The project was designed by Digital Engineering and Imaging, Inc. and constructed by Barriere Construction.