Lafayette Parish is spending about $800,000 to stabilize a drainage channel where fast moving water has eroded the banks toward nearby businesses, Lafayette Consolidated Government announced October 29.
The work is at the Tideland Road Outfall near Tideland and Mineral roads in the Southpark area. Officials said continued erosion, if left unchecked, could eventually reach beneath buildings and threaten their foundations. The announcement did not report existing foundation damage.
Crews are building vertical walls to keep the channel from widening. Grading and concrete blocks along the bottom are intended to slow water and reduce erosion. The project also includes improvements where the channel empties into Coulee des Poches and protection for the opposite bank.
The channel lies between two businesses, limiting the space available for construction.
Progressive Construction is the contractor. The parish funded project is expected to be finished in the first quarter of 2027, according to the announcement.