FERRIDAY &8212; The project to four-lane U.S. 84 from Jonesville to Ferriday has been put on hold.

Louisiana Department of Transportation Construction Engineer Ken Free told Ferriday Rotary Club members Thursday that LDOT could not start construction on U.S. 84 because there were not enough funds to do so.

&8220;Our problem is money,&8221; Free said. &8220;We simply do not have enough to start on the project.&8221;

LDOT does have, however, two projects near completion that affect the Ferriday area, Free said.

&8220;The Black River Bridge in Jonesville is 25 percent complete,&8221; Free said.

The cost for the bridge project was $15 million, he said.

Free said LDOT accepted a contract to start on the approach to the bridge from Wildsville to Jonesville.

The cost for the project is $32 million and the estimated date for completion is the summer of 2008.

The second project LDOT would complete is the Louisiana 15, Clayton to Greenville four-lane project, Free said.

&8220;This section of Highway 15 will be completed in two years,&8221; Free said. &8220;Once this is done the stretch of highway between Interstate 20 and Natchez will be completely four lane.&8221;

Rotary Club president Hugh Bateman said he appreciated Free coming to talk to rotary members about the progress of the Black River Bridge project and Louisiana 15.

&8220;We always appreciate getting these updates because these roads are the lifeblood to Louisiana&8217;s economic development,&8221; Bateman said.

Bateman said he was not so pleased to hear the update on U.S. 84 though.

&8220;That&8217;s just the reality of it I guess,&8221; Bateman said. &8220;It&8217;s just going to take longer to get the highway completed.&8221;