Icy roads headache for some motorists

The roads were icy throughout Vermilion Parish which caused problems for many residents.
Vermilion Parish Sheriff Mike Couvillon’s Office worked multiple accidents in the parish during the past two days.
The Sheriff’s Office reports it responded to 38 crashes (24 on state highways) between Tuesday and Wednesday at noon.
While rural areas saw activity, Police chiefs in Abbeville, Vermilion Parish’s largest city, and Maurice, a gateway to the parish, reported no major incidents caused by icy conditions.
Abbeville Police Chief Tony Hardy and Maurice Police Chief Warren Rost said Wednesday around mid-morning that roadways looked better after Tuesday’s freezing rainfall.
“We had a bunch of icy roads,” Hardy said Wednesday morning, “but we didn’t have anything major happen.
“The roads are looking better.”
That included the bridge on the La. Highway 14 Bypass. Hardy said a crew from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development put salt on the bridge on Tuesday.
“The bridge is in good condition,” Hardy said. “The state did a good job because it doesn’t have any ice on it.”
Abbeville Police responded to four wrecks on the same bridge last Friday as a result of icy conditions. Hardy, as well as Sheriff Mike Couvillon, had a speed-limit sign posted for 5 miles an hour on each side of the bridge. Hardy credited drivers for eliminating those incidents by using caution during the last couple of days.
“People slowed down,” Hardy said. “If you go flying over the bridge in those conditions, you are going to slide.”
Rost said drivers traveling through and around the Village of Maurice used similar caution.
“We haven’t had any accidents yet,” Rost said Wednesday just before noon. “The roads are starting to get a whole lot better.”
Rost, who along with other officers, got on the road Wednesday around 4 a.m. That was in addition to the 24-hour patrol provided by the department. The Chief said there were a few small incidents in the early hours.
“(La. Highway.) 92 this morning was a little rough,” Rost said of the stretch of 92 that is within the Village limits. “They had a few cars kind of slide a little bit.
“There were no major crashes.”
Rost said officers also kept a close watch on the bridge on U.S. Highway 167 that connects Vermilion and Lafayette Parishes.
“It still had a little ice on it,” Rost said. “Everything else is melting pretty good.”
With temperatures expected to remain below freezing until early this morning, officials are reminding drivers to use extreme caution.
“People are going back to work and school and traffic is going to pick back up,” Hardy said. “If that is the case, pay attention, because the roads could still be very slick.”