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Iberville Parish teachers hoping Grosse Tete bridge closure won't affect students' education
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PLAQUEMINE - With just one week before the start of the school year, teachers and staff at Plaquemine High School gathered for a staff development day. A hot topic on everyone's minds: the Grosse Tete bridge closure.
"It's a bad situation no matter which way you look at it," Plaquemine athletic director Hunter Markins said.
Markins is more than just a coach. He also represents District 8 on the Iberville Parish Council. He said, while the parish is working to cooperate with affected residents as much as possible, there is room for higher-ranking officials, such as the governor, to step in.
"I think for it to really speed up the process, I think the governor needs to see it for himself," Markins said.
Parents with students who live on the north side of the Grosse Tete bridge were given a handful of options. Take the ferry, take a bus on the detour route, take virtual classes, or switch schools.
Markins believes student-athletes will face one of the biggest challenges if they choose to take the detour route after football practice, which wraps up between 5:30 and 6 p.m.
"Anytime something changes in somebody's life and they gotta go an extra 30-40 minutes, it can affect them sports-wise, getting off of work, going to work, coming to school, going to school," Markins said.
Teachers and students alike dread the back-to-school traffic on La. 1, which will be the main route into Plaquemine while the bridge remains closed.
As a council member, Markins is calling for his colleagues to work together towards a better future. The same bridge was damaged a decade ago, and he believes history is only repeating itself because a major change is needed.
"I think the master plan needs to be right now for like the parish council to start thinking of what we need 10 years down the road. Like maybe an overpass or something but start thinking about that now for 10 years later," he said.
The first day of school in Iberville Parish is Aug. 8.
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