FERRIDAY &8212; The overhaul of Concordia Parish&8217;s roads is well under way.

Crews from Blain Construction in Mt. Olive

have finished laying the new blacktop in Levee Heights, and work in Ferriday is nearing completion.

Levee Heights residents are thrilled.

&8220;They look great; I&8217;m really happy about it,&8221; Lizzie Sullivan said. &8220;I&8217;ve been here 26 years and this was the first time they&8217;ve gotten fixed.&8221;

Mary Melancon shared Sullivan&8217;s enthusiasm, saying the new roads have a number of positive effects.

&8220;It makes everything look better; they&8217;re easier to drive on and it might help the value of the houses,&8221; she said.

The Blaine crews have paved part of Bayou Road and are working on Florida, Ohio and Virginia avenues.

Mayor Gene Allen said he hadn&8217;t heard a specific timetable for the project&8217;s completion.

&8220;That depends on the weather,&8221; he said. &8220;If it stays nice, it could be finished in a week or so.

Allen said the new roads would be a welcome part of the city&8217;s ongoing downtown revitalization efforts.

Money for the two separate paving projects came from Louisiana Community Development Block Grants.

Separately, the first set of bonds for the 82-road, $10 million repaving project the police jury is undertaking are in the process being issued.