ASCENSION PARISH - Two state highways are now the responsibility of Ascension Parish, taking the roads off DOTD's plate.

Highways 934 and 930 are both in need of repairs, but because they fell under DOTD's jurisdiction, officials said those repairs were put on the backburner.

"Highway 930 is a state highway, and it is not in the state's priority list right now," parish public information officer Martin McConnell said.

Though it may not be high on the state's list, it is extremely high on many residents' lists.

"You can't do the speed limit if another car is coming," reisdent Jeff Petit said. "You have to slow down and one or both of you have to get off on the shoulder, if there is a shoulder, and try to stay out of the ditch."

DOTD has already engineered, purchased the right-of-way, and is even offering the parish around $4 million, about half of what is needed, to complete it.

"Everything is done," McConnell said. "It is essentially a shovel-ready project. They just don't have the funding."

To the residents and parents whose children attending the schools on Highway 930, it's a no-brainer. To some longtime residents of Ascension Parish, they know all too well that accepting ownership of another road may lead to future problems.

"We can't maintain what we have now," Petit said. "Councilman after councilman after councilman has stated that."

Councilman Todd Lambert voted against the acquisition.

"I'm just saying, taking in roads, major roadways," Lambert said, "that's a very costly expense to an overlayer in 15 to 20 years, and you know that's not going to happen.

The parish council voted 6-2 in favor of accepting the roads at Thursday's council meeting. Now that the parish has ownership, they plan on widening Highway 930, adding shoulders on both sides, and eventually putting in roundabouts.