ZACHARY - An old bridge in Zachary is causing distress to residents with its closure leaving just one path to leave the neighborhood. East Baton Rouge Parish officials said repairs take time, but some residents are not willing to wait.

The bridge in question is the Port Hickey Road bridge, which resident Eric Smith said has been closed for at least eight years.

"It's real scary when you know a storm is coming, someone is sick and they can't get out. The ambulance can't get in and nobody can get out," Smith said. 

Port Hickey Road runs into Plains Port Hudson Road which meets Highway 61.

"I've tapped on the posts, I've shown videos. The bridge is not damaged. Why is it closed?" Smith said.

District One Councilmember Brandon Noel said he is aware of the Port Hickey Road Bridge and said it's a part of a trio of bridges he is working on.

"Twin Oaks and Alphonse Forbes have both been fully funded and repaired, those were my first two projects. Those are both more heavily used, so they were prioritized over Port Hickey. Port Hickey is next on my list, it's something that's absolutely on my radar," Noel said.

As previously reported, Port Hickey Road Bridge cannot be fixed by the maintenance department and needs to be contracted out. The East Baton Rouge Transportation and Drainage Department Director Fred Raiford said the parish is responsible for more than 300 bridges. Factors like bridge size, cost and the number of people who use the bridge matter.

"Most of them that are timber pile and timber decking are in need of being replaced and that is what our bridge program tries to accomplish," Raiford said. "It could be as much as a million to two million dollars."

Raiford said his department gets $1.3 million each year from DOTD, so the bridges must be ranked in order of priority. The funding comes from one pot.

"I'm assured that we should start to see funding and repairs for Port Hickey if not at the end of 25... then at the beginning of 2026," Noel said.

Smith wants the bridge and the surrounding road fixed sooner.

"There are people who live back here, so why is it so hard to open this bridge?" Smith said. "Give me what I put my money in, show me that my council, my mayor cares. The rural area has been forgotten about. It's time for a change."

The EBR Metro Council will hear from the Drainage and Transportation Department about federal funding to repair 13 bridges at the next meeting on Feb. 26. Port Hickey is not one of those bridges.