BATON ROUGE - Crews are about halfway through a project reconstructing Jefferson Highway from Drusilla Lane to Airline Highway. Drivers making left-hand turns in and out of neighborhoods there say it's been difficult navigating the cone configurations, so much so they're calling it "Suicide Lane."

Yvette Robinson and Lulu Ribas live at the Pine Ridge Townhomes closer to Bluebonnet Boulevard. The construction hasn't quite made it to their neighborhood but they're still stuck dodging traffic cones and signs in front of their entrance.

"We don't know what's going, all we know is that the cones float around and sometimes block people from getting into their subdivisions," Robinson said.

The cones have been in place for about a month. In that time, the residents say there have been several accidents and close calls.

"There have never been signs. If you look at the barrels, all of them have been hit," Ribas said.

The cone configuration and lane change starts after Bluebonnet Boulevard, which is down the street from the actual road work. What was the inside lane for westbound traffic is now a center turn lane.

"Everyone's calling it 'Suicide Lane'," Rivas said

DOTD says the current setup is not likely to change.

The state says it allowed contractor, Merrick, to take an extra half mile of the construction zone so they didn't have to redo the traffic pattern each time they moved and explained that it would cause confusion, cost more, and add more time to the project.

The work in front of Robinson and Ribas' neighborhood isn't scheduled to begin for another three to four months.

"We could be using this - everyone could be using this - because it starts back there," Ribas said.

Even though they'd like to avoid the construction area, they can't. Ribas fears it's going to cause an accident for one of their neighbors and is asking for more protection on the state route.

The Jefferson Highway project from Essen Lane to Airline Highway is supposed to be completed in early 2026, weather permitting. DOTD says Merrick spent a couple of days pumping water out of their workspace this week after the rain Sunday.

The project will also include improvements to the curbs, gutters, and sidewalks.