VIDALIA — While one lane of traffic across the Natchez-Vidalia bridge may irk some, the roadwork being done just off the bridge in Vidalia is being done for safety.

That work, which closed one lane of the bridge Monday, is to build a right- turning lane onto Louisiana Avenue.

The City of Vidalia requested the work be done, Mayor Hyram Copeland said.

“We have such a tremendous amount of traffic coming off the bridge it created a safety hazard when people were having to slow to make the right turn,” Copeland said.

With the completed four-laning of Louisiana 15 and the future four-laning of U.S. 65, that hazard would only get greater with an expected 25 to 30 percent increase in traffic, Copeland said.

That project should be completed in 60 days, and $212,000 was allocated for its completion, Area Engineer for Department of Transportation and Development District 58 Ken Free said.

The DOTD is also doing roadwork along U.S. 84 in Concordia Parish, adding 13 new left-turning lanes between the four traffic lanes.

That construction, for which $1.3 million was allocated, should be completed in 90 days, Free said.

The locations of where to place the new turning lanes were determined by accident history at those locations, Free said.

Those locations include the turns off of U.S. 84 at:

Roundtree Road

Vail Acres

L.J. Denny Road

Hammett Addition

Louisiana 3196

Green Acres Road

Thomas Drive

Vidalia Drive

Ferriday Drive

Crestview Drive

Marsala Beverage

A.J. Gibson

Louisiana 3232