Jones steers legislation to obtain stoplight in Berwick

A bill awaiting the governor’s signature would place a stoplight on La. 182 in Berwick in front of the Cameron plant.
Rep. Sam Jones, D-Franklin, proposed the bill, which passed the House and Senate unanimously.
“If the governor signs it, it’s another tool for the development of Cameron Iron Works who developed property across the street to expand. It’s a response to their request as well as to the mayor and council of Berwick,” Jones said.
The Town of Berwick previously requested, and was denied, a stoplight at Tournament Boulevard several times. The intersection serves Country Club Estates and was the site of several fatal and serious crashes.
The latest request came from Berwick High sophomore Hannah Roy with the support of a town resolution passed at a March town meeting.
“In regards to the request for a traffic signal at Tournament Boulevard and La. 182, a traffic study will be performed once school is back in session,” Deidre Druilhet, public information officer for the Department of Transportation and Development said in an email today.
This would be the procedure for a stoplight at Cameron Iron Works as well, but Jones’ legislation bypasses that method. Druilhet said DOTD does not have a request on file from Cameron requesting that stoplight.
Typically, to install a signal, a request must be sent to a traffic engineer in the area and a study is performed to determine if the location meets requirements identified in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Druilhet said.
According to the state DOTD, to determine which, if any, of these criteria are met, the department first obtains hourly traffic volumes on each approach to the intersection during a 24-hour period, checks sight distances, determines approach speeds on each route and analyzes the crash history. The data gathered is then compared to the baseline standards for each location.
“Engineering studies conducted across the country have shown that unjustified signal installations can cause unnecessary delays to motorists and typically result in an overall increase of crashes at an intersection, especially rear-end crashes,” the DOTD states.
Of the 14 bills filed by Jones, four passed. However, he said four more regarding a 1.5 percent cost of living increase for all retired state workers, teachers and school employees, and state police were passed on the Senate side before Jones’ House versions of the bills were considered.
Among the four laws passed, Jones said HB 582 creating the Morgan City Development District is important to the local economy. It is a public board composed of all of the territory located within the city limits of Morgan City. It provides a tool to locate grants or levy taxes to develop industrial or residential properties within the district.
“The Economic Development District for the City of Morgan City was something the mayor and council wanted to give them the tools they need to help the growth spurt that this vibrant economy is calling for. There’s a great need for additional infrastructure, housing and business development. This is an appropriate tool for them to use,” Jones said.
The bill was signed by the governor on May 28 and becomes law Aug. 1.
Other Jones bills passed were one requiring rulemaking agencies to publish on the Internet certain information concerning proposed rules and fees and another providing the authority to transfer or lease certain state property in St. Mary Parish. The latter has been signed by the governor, while the former is awaiting signature.
Other bills of note Jones discussed included:
—One on the governor’s desk is to postpone PARCC testing for a year, which he backed. “I also supported the position that we don’t necessarily have to use PARCC. The local school boards should be able to use their own testing process and tools. All of that is subject to review by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education,” he said.
—“We passed the MFP (Minimum Foundation Program) which is the first time we’ve done that in two years. While it had some improvements in it, it doesn’t have the built-in growth factor. I voted for it because we did have right at $70 million additional dollars in it, but I won’t vote for the next one if it doesn’t have a growth factor.”
—Jones also said he voted for the bill that negated the lawsuit against the 97 oil companies that the South Louisiana Levee Board filed. “Along with Sen. (Bret) Allain and Rep. (Joe) Harrison, we believe it sent the wrong signal to the most vibrant industry we have in our area. We appreciate the job creation that has come along with the expansion of the deepwater activity and the support that we provide in St. Mary Parish. We didn’t want to do anything to impair that,” Jones said. Allain was the lead sponsor of the bill.