PLAQUEMINES PARISH, La. — Imagine your commute taking four times longer than usual. That’s what’s happening in Plaquemines Parish. With complaints over traffic delays in Belle Chasse taking over some neighborhood Facebook groups, Plaquemines Parish will hold a special council meeting tomorrow on the issue.
In the morning, it takes Cindy Cline just 10 minutes to get to work in Belle Chasse. In the afternoon, that same commute takes about 40 minutes.
“It’s very frustrating,” Cline said. “I have to leave the house or leave school earlier to get home."
Cindy isn’t alone. Eric Serrano says he doesn’t have any issues driving late at night, but five o’clock traffic is a different story.
“I think everyone knows that when you leave at five o’clock, you’re going to be in traffic,” Serrano said. “People have just adapted to it.”
A trip that takes him six minutes at night can take him up to 30 minutes during rush hour.
“You want to get home and get on with your life, but you spend it in traffic. It’s a waste of time,” Seranno said.
Council Member Chris Shulz says while most of the traffic is due to the construction of a natural gas exporting plant, no one factor is to blame. Traffic is also affected by military base employee commuters.
That’s why the Plaquemines Parish Council invites the community to discuss their concerns at a special council meeting on Thursday at 5 p.m. Shulz says he understands the residents' frustrations and is trying to alleviate the traffic.
The Plaquemines Parish President, council members, and the port director will attend the meeting tomorrow.
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