PORT ALLEN - Traffic along LA 1 has been a headache for years, and that pain could get even more severe.

About 48,000 cars pass over the Intracoastal Canal Bridge daily, the state says. Now, developers want to turn a grassy area off Highway 1 and Emily Drive into a new neighborhood. The area would have more than 300 homes, businesses, and a park. It's a hot topic in this small community.

Traffic crawls on any given day on LA 1, and if there's any trouble on the new bridge, traffic stops. Word got out of plans for a new neighborhood in an open field, and folks in the area are worried.

Caleb Kleinpeter lives right next to the proposed subdivision, he says he's not against the growth.

"We want infrastructure to be improved," Kleinpeter told WBRZ.

There's been talk of two projects that could help: 1) a new connector bridge that would link LA 415 with LA 1, and 2) a new, wider Intracoastal Canal Bridge.

But, there's a road block.

"We can't deny the need for both of those projects," DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson tells News 2. "But what we also can't deny is that we don't have the dollars to actually build either of them at this point."

Kleinpeter took his concerns to Facebook, and many of his neighbors also worry about the added strain on their streets. A public meeting is set for Tuesday.

"It's time that we all start showing up and voicing our opinions," Kleinpeter said.

There are other problems with the new development, like drainage and water safety. But at the end of the day, one thing stands above the rest: more traffic.

The public hearing is set for Tuesday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the parish council meeting room on North Alexander in Port Allen.