Prairie Contractors submitted the low bid for a major Louisiana DOTD pavement-preservation project covering LA 26 from US 165 in Oberlin to US 190 near Elton. The work includes more than 250,000 square yards of milling, tens of thousands of tons of asphalt and extensive pavement repairs.

OBERLIN, La. — A roughly 14.5-mile stretch of LA 26 through Allen and Jefferson Davis parishes is slated for a major resurfacing project after Prairie Contractors LLC submitted a $9,765,208.01 low bid to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

The project, H.016114.6, extends from US 165 in Oberlin south to US 190 near Elton, making it considerably more than a routine spot-repair job. DOTD describes the work as asphalt milling, pavement patching, asphalt overlay, hot-mix asphalt aggregate surface course and related improvements.

DOTD opened bids on Aug. 12, 2026.

Prairie Contractors, headquartered in Opelousas, ranked first among four bidders at $9.765 million. Diamond B Construction was second at $10.037 million, followed closely by Gilchrist Construction at $10.041 million and R.E. Heidt Construction at $10.315 million.

The low bid was approximately $1.13 million, or 13%, above DOTD's $8.636 million construction estimate.

This is more than a new layer of asphalt

The quantities contained in DOTD's bid documents show the scale of the work.

The project calls for approximately 252,531 square yards of asphalt pavement milling and roughly 43,508 tons of asphalt concrete, plus another 5,177 tons of hot-mix asphalt aggregate surface course.

Crews are also expected to perform substantial full-depth pavement repairs.

DOTD listed:

• 1,828 square yards of pavement patching at a minimum depth of 14 inches
• 1,763 square yards of patching at a minimum depth of 16 inches
• About 14 miles of centerline rumble strips
• About 28 miles of shoulder or edge rumble strips
• Guardrail removal and replacement
• New pavement markers and striping
• Mailbox removal and replacement where necessary during construction

Those quantities indicate work beneath the road surface in deteriorated areas before the final overlay is placed, rather than simply paving over the existing highway.

From Oberlin to Elton

Although DOTD's project database lists the job under both Allen and Jefferson Davis parishes, most of the corridor connects two small Southwest Louisiana communities.

LA 26 intersects US 165 in Oberlin, then travels southeast and south before reaching US 190 near Elton. Route mileage data places those intersections about 14.55 miles apart, matching published project listings for the DOTD work.

The route is one of the principal north-south connections between northern Allen Parish and the Jennings area farther south.

DOTD's Highway Priority Program classifies H.016114 as a preservation project on the non-interstate Surface Transportation Program system. The corridor is assigned to the state's STP<5K funding category, which DOTD defines as Surface Transportation Program funding for rural areas.

That designation is significant because the project is primarily about preserving an existing transportation corridor rather than constructing a new road.

Prairie Contractors already has a Southwest Louisiana footprint

Prairie Contractors is based in Opelousas, but the company already maintains substantial operations across Southwest Louisiana.

The contractor lists an asphalt plant in Westlake, along with aggregate facilities in Lake Charles, Mossville, DeRidder and Leesville. Its primary work includes hot-mix asphalt production, highway construction, milling, base work and pavement patching.

The company is also no stranger to DOTD work in this part of the state.

In June, Prairie Contractors was listed on a $5.196 million LA 82 project in Cameron Parish involving grading, drainage work, pavement milling, patching and asphalt overlay.

On the same Aug. 12 letting as the LA 26 project, Prairie also submitted the low bids for a $1.456 million LA 88 project in Iberia Parish and a $5.335 million LA 10 project in St. Landry Parish. Combined with the LA 26 bid, those three low bids totaled more than $16.5 million that day.

What happens next

DOTD's current records list Prairie Contractors with the $9.765 million LA 26 project in its database of projects let during the past year. The original Aug. 12 bid-results page identified Prairie as the apparent low bidder, while the subsequent bid tabulation ranks the company first.

As of Sept. 16, the public records reviewed by 337.NEWS did not provide a work-order date or projected completion date for H.016114.6.

That means motorists should not assume construction will begin immediately.

Once DOTD issues the work order and publishes a construction schedule, the project will become easier to track for lane closures, traffic impacts and expected completion.

For drivers between Oberlin and Elton, however, the scope is already clear: this is a nearly 15-mile pavement rehabilitation project with close to $10 million in construction work planned for one of Allen Parish's primary highway corridors.

About the Author

Dalton Barron is an investigative reporter and Louisiana-licensed real estate salesperson affiliated with NextHome Bayou Pines.

His reporting focuses on public records, real estate, development, infrastructure, business, government, and local data across Southwest Louisiana.

Dalton Barron
NextHome Bayou Pines
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DeRidder, LA 70634

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Dalton’s real estate activities are separate from the editorial operations of 337.NEWS. The brokerage information above is included for transparency where reporting may intersect with real estate, development, property ownership, land use, infrastructure, or related industries.

About 337.NEWS

337.NEWS is an independent Southwest Louisiana publication focused on the parts of local stories that deserve a closer look.

That includes real estate, public records, development, infrastructure, business, local data and government spending.

A road contract can be more than a road contract. It can show where public money is going, which corridors are being prioritized, and where future activity may follow.

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