Mary Talbot
April 2, 2016
Skains leaving Tarpons for Cecilia
April 5, 2016
A perpetual eyesore and bane to traffic flow for the past two years, South Hollywood Road has a treacherous, new addition.
The road has three-foot-deep valleys along its northern shoulder from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to La. Highway 311 as part of the ongoing widening project. Conti Contractors are set to fill the openings up with sand to set a foundation for paving, according to Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove.
Dove urged the public to proceed with caution as they drive on Hollywood, particularly during inclement weather, as the rain could shroud just how deep the drop on the shoulder is.
“It’s about a three-foot drop. It will ruin your car. The way that the street was designed is there’s not very much room. They did put some barricades up, but if you run off a little bit, you will bust your car,” Dove said.
The $11.4 million project to double the lanes on South Hollywood from two to four began in 2014 after years of delays related to land acquisitions and relocating utility services. According to Robert Williams, project engineer for Providence/GSE Associates, the architectural engineering firm overseeing the project, contractors must wait for about 3-4 weeks for the foundation to cure on the northern shoulder before the lanes are poured.
Traffic will shift to the northern lanes, and the same process will begin on the southern shoulder.
Local businesses on Hollywood have stood strong in the face of headaches from the construction. Nicole Himel, owner the Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio, has had her company at the intersection of Corporate Drive and Hollywood since September. She said her business had its best Saturday ever last week, even with the current work limiting access to her store.
According to Himel, a lot of her clientele live closer to her current location than her previous West Park Avenue spot, and, traffic be damned, most will find a way to her store.
“I’d say for 80 percent of my customers, the construction is not inhibiting them from buying what they need. They are going to find a way to the store to get their supplies regardless,” she said.
Desiree Landry is the owner of D.a.n.c.e., a dance studio further up Corporate. Landry said this year’s class size is the smallest she has had in 13 years in business. However, she is not ready to chalk it up entirely to the work on Hollywood.
“It’s hard to say. It could be [due to Hollywood construction], or it could be the economy,” Landry said.
Himel described the sluggish local economy and the Hollywood construction as
a “one-two punch” for local businesses. Though her current clients are pleased with her new location, the ongoing work has hampered her ability to grow her consumer base.
“The amount of rent we’re paying to be in these corporate locations, we’re reliant on people to see us,” she said.
One business along Hollywood lost water service last Tuesday, as contractors worked on drainage in the northern shoulder. According to Williams, the outage was not planned, as contractors broke a water line while working. He said the issue has since been resolved.
“To the best of my knowledge, I haven’t heard from anyone else that says they haven’t had water,” Williams said.
Dove said he and Terrebonne Parish Manager Al Levron have spoken with contractors to try and speed up the process as much as possible. According to Dove, the current end date, weather permitting, is set for fall of this year.
“They gave us October for completion,” he said. “That may or may not happen, but that’s the date we’re holding them down to complete the entire project.”
A dump truck drops gravel into the side of South Hollywood Road last week. Contractors have extended their schedule to 24-hour work to expedite the Hollywood Road widening project.
