PRAIRIEVILLE - Residents of Ascension Parish are raising an eyebrow at new plans for a roundabout at the intersection at LA 73 and 621.

The preliminary designs were presented at a public input meeting Thursday night. The plans call for the realignment of LA 621 to run behind the Marathon gas station, where it will flow into a roundabout that ties in with Eads Road and Grand Hollow Avenue, and feeds into LA 73. 

While roundabouts are typically proven to reduce accidents and congestion at four-way intersections, many residents were not fond of these particular plans. Concerns were raised over the fact that, at its current design, the roundabout leads to a traffic signal. 

Daniel Helms, Chief Traffic Engineer for Ascension Parish DPW, says it's something designers are working to address. 

"It's not a great situation," Helms said. "We're gonna work collaboratively with our partners at DOTD to see if we can get that solution there that we would not have a roundabout right on top of a signal."

The project is still in the planning phase, meaning the designs released to the public are not finalized. According to a spokesperson with DOTD, the project will not go to bid until 2025, or 2026.