La. 14 reconstruction nears completion in Lake Charles

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Drivers and businesses along La. 14 are nearing the end of more than two years of potholes and lane closures as a reconstruction project approaches completion.

The 3.3-mile stretch of highway carries roughly 15,000 drivers daily. Officials said Southwest Louisiana weather events, including multiple freezes, flooding and drought conditions, complicated the project timeline.

“What was discovered is that this pavement, it deteriorated much quicker or much faster than expected. And that was due to several different events. There were multiple freeze events. There was flooding. There was drought conditions. All of those weather events required additional repairs during construction,” said John Guidroz.

Leonard’s Food Quarter, a restaurant along the corridor, said construction regularly deterred customers.

“We had customers that would call and ask if we were open because the construction cones would be right in front of the building,” said Jamie Fuselier, manager of Leonard’s Food Quarter.

Fuselier said the sight of new pavement in front of the business marked a turning point.

“It’s a tremendous relief just seeing the blacktop down in front of Leonard’s. We’ve waited so long to see that so, just not having cones directly in front of the business is a big help,” Fuselier said.

The more than $11 million project included work beyond surface-level repairs. Officials said drainage structures were repaired, curbs and concrete pavement were replaced, and new expansion joints were installed.

“Drainage structures that were repaired, curbs, concrete pavement, new expansion joints were installed to improve the roadway’s performance over the long term,” Guidroz said.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said the project is set to be finished this summer, with final improvements to drainage and permanent road striping still to come.