Trying to make Hwy. 167 safer

Because of the recent death of two people on Hwy. 167, residents of Vermilion Parish are tired of people getting killed on a particular section of Hwy. 167 and want to make sure no one else dies.
Over the last six years, five people have died on Hwy. 167 in a particular area of the highway. Four people who died were involved in two head-on collisions. Three of those killed were students who attended North Vermilion High School. Also killed was Brandon Issac, who was driving the car that smashed into Ramsie’s vehicle. Issac was traveling on Hwy. 167 the wrong way, and his blood-alcohol level tested above the legal limit, according to State Police.
The three NVHS students died in separate accidents involving two drunk drivers traveling the wrong way on Hwy. 167.
Now, after the recent death of NVHS senior Ramsie Baumgardner, friends and family of Baumgardner want to make sure no one else dies in a head-on collision on Hwy. 167.
On Wednesday, friends and family of Ramsie attended a police jury meeting asking for help to try and make Hwy. 167 a safer road to travel. Their dream would be to install lights along Hwy. 167.
Aunt of Ramsie Baumgardner, Sheri Dubois said lights could have prevented the head-on collisions.
“Lighting might have changed the outcome of not just Ramsie’s accident, but both accidents that I mentioned. However, the lights were not and are not there, and I can no longer accept this.”
Dubois said the first step to fixing the problem on Hwy. 167 is this meeting.
“We got the conversation started, and we got people on board. I believe everyone is wanting and realizes that the lights are going to be a good thing for the road and the safety of this parish.”
“I do not know what the answer is. Every day that I get on 167, it’s scary. From the morning to the afternoon and especially at night,” said Margaret Greene. “Especially from La. 697 to 699. It is dark.”
Two engineers from the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) informed that a study is being conducted on ways to make Hwy. 167 safer. DOTD is studying to see if J-Turns at intersections could help.
The engineers informed the police jury that lights could be installed on Hwy. 167, but the million dollar questions are who would pay for the lights and who would maintain the lights once they are installed.
There are lights along Hwy. 167 in Lafayette Parish, which was paid for by the Lafayette Parish government. The police jury would be the governmental entity in Vermilion Parish that would have to pay for the lights, the DOTD engineers said.
The Vermilion Parish Police Jury plans to work with local state representatives and requests money from the government to help pay for the lights.