Cannon Road in Ascension is infamously narrow. Part of it is finally being widened. – The Advocate

Ascension Parish officials expect a developer this month to start widening a notoriously narrow road where new neighborhood plans had sparked controversy months before parish officials halted new growth last summer to rewrite their development rules.

In late 2020 and early 2021, residents living along Cannon Road north of Gonzales had opposed the 103-home Windermere Crossing neighborhood because of Cannon's narrow width, flooding concerns with the low-lying property and other worries.

An important cut-through just north of Gonzales that carries school bus traffic, the road is less than the then-minimum required width of 18 feet. Parish planners had previously rejected a neighborhood for the site in late 2018 before Windermere got the nod in January 2021 amid controversy.

After the parish Planning Commission adopted the project with some road widening requirements, the parish and developer Dantin-Bruce Development ended up cutting a more expansive road-widening deal that the Planning Commission adopted narrowly shortly before the growth moratorium took effect last summer.

Parish officials said last week that the agreed-upon road widening had been expected to start Friday, pending weather, but no signs were visible Monday afternoon. The area has been through some rainy weather recently with more expected.

Brandon Gatlin, parish spokesman, said the work should begin no later than this month in any case.

The job will widen Cannon to 20 feet across the new width standard adopted in late April for large-scale developments and extend from La. 44 to Roddy Road.

The first road deal had called for widening Cannon to only 18 feet across from Roddy to O'Neal Road. In exchange for more road work, the developers were allowed to have only one exit for Windermere.

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The current job is expected to improve Cannon's base and road surface.

Rishi Vyas, 40, lives at the southwest corner of Roddy and Cannon and said he hasn't seen much activity on Cannon yet, except for the placement of stakes on his property several weeks ago.

Vyas is among those who remain unhappy Windermere Crossing was approved in the first place.

He said he is concerned over the drainage and traffic impacts and is skeptical whether the road compromise is really responsive to residents' growth concerns.

"Yes, it will be a benefit for the road to be widened because there's a subdivision. But, do the people want to the road to be widened for a subdivision to be put in? No, but, I mean, yeah, in the event that there is one put in, yeah, it's gonna help," he said.

The road work is estimated to cost Dantin-Bruce about $750,000.About half of the cost is expected to be credited against road impact fees.

Parish officials said they have divided the road project in two pieces to minimize traffic impacts. Traffic should use Bayou Narcisse Road or Black Bayou Road to bypass the work.

Home construction in Windermere can't start until the road is finished, parish officials said.

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Cannon Road in Ascension is infamously narrow. Part of it is finally being widened. - The Advocate