There will be a special council meeting on Monday, September 20, 2021 to discuss East Baton Rouge Parish bridge closures in Central, Louisiana. With some bridges closed and others not passing inspection, councilmembers are hoping to find solutions to what is becoming a serious issue in their city.
Central Mayor Pro Tempore Wade Evans released the following statement about Monday’s special meeting.
“The meeting we are having is to discuss the bridges that are closed in the city of Central. We want to discuss the obligations to the citizens and when we should get involved to address what has always been a parish issue. When we started asking questions, no one can give a definitive answer as to who even owns the bridges. With the changing workforce and baby boomer retirements, I am unsure if the parish even has the manpower to do the necessary maintenance that could prevent these weeks and months long closures so we are hoping to discuss possible solutions. It would be nice to be able to work out a plan so that the maintenance needs of the bridges are met in a timely fashion. We have to look at more than just a dollar amount because our citizens are incurring life quality issues because if extraordinary traffic and commute times. We almost address the life safety issue of adding time to emergency response times, where 10 minutes could be the difference in life or death. I feel we owe it to the taxpayer to explore our options so I, along with 3 other council members chose to call an emergency meeting at city hall on Monday, September 20th at 5:30. I am not content with the status quo and I was elected to represent the people and solve the problems that government should.”
Monday’s meeting will be at 5:30 pm, Central City Hall,13421 Hooper Rd #8, Baton Rouge, LA 70818.
