From February through late August, Youngsville Police counted 16 failure-to-yield crashes at the roundabout where Youngsville Highway meets Fortune Road, Acadiana News First reported. Mayor Ken Ritter says most of them happen at one spot. Southbound drivers on the highway pull into the circle without yielding to traffic coming from their left. For decades, that southbound lane was the road that never had to stop. That is changing at Fortune Road now, and the rest of the Highway 89 project is set up to extend the same change toward LA 92.
The one movement behind most of the crashes
As Hot 107.9 laid out the mayor's PSA, the trouble involves two streams of traffic.
- A driver heads south on Youngsville Highway toward the circle.
- Another vehicle is already coming from that driver's left. It might be continuing onto Fortune Road or going farther around the circle.
- The southbound driver reaches the white yield lines at the entrance. That driver does not have the right of way.
- The southbound driver slows down, stops if needed, and waits until the lane from the left is clear before crossing the yield lines.
The mayor's message was "Slow down. And yield." He conceded that this layout differs from some other roundabouts local drivers know, but said those two rules don't change. A yield sign doesn't require a full stop every time. It does require a driver to look for traffic that has the right of way and stop when it's there. The car in the next lane doesn't change that. If it rolls through, you still have to wait.
Acadiana News First added a detail for drivers coming from the Ambassador Caffery Parkway side. Watch the signs and pavement markings that show where to stop before you enter. This is general information drawn from the city's public message, not legal advice. The posted signs and markings at the intersection govern.
Why the habit is hard to break here
Under the Hot 107.9 story about the mayor's post, the comments read like a dispute between two kinds of driver, and both had a point. People going through the circle toward Fortune Road described close calls with southbound vehicles that didn't yield. Some said they had stopped inside the roundabout because they weren't sure an approaching car would stop. Others raised design questions: the Fortune Road entry and exit points sit close together along the highway, and a vehicle in the left southbound lane can block the view for a driver in the right lane as both approach the yield point.
The roundabout replaced a problem everyone already knew. Before it opened, southbound highway traffic went past Fortune Road with very little interruption. Drivers on Fortune Road had to wait for a gap to turn left or cross a highway that kept getting busier as Youngsville grew. The circle took that wait away from Fortune Road drivers and spread it to everyone, including the southbound drivers who never used to stop.
That explains the city's chosen fix. Ritter said more signage was coming, including lighted signs. One is meant to say, in plain words, "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop." It's aimed at southbound drivers who still expect to go straight through the old Fortune Road intersection.
The Fortune Road project is also closing out on paper. In May the city council approved substantial completion of the Fortune Road Extension and Roundabout Project. At the October 8 meeting, staff reported that close-out was waiting on concurrence from the state.
Fortune Road is the first stretch where through traffic yields
The roundabout is one piece of a longer corridor plan. The Advocate reported that the Highway 89 widening goes into Phase 2 after the Fortune Road roundabout, with the goal of four lanes all the way down to the roundabout at Highway 92. Ritter announced the start of that phase on July 1. The original project description defines Phase 2 as running from Fortune Road at Sabal Palms to Iberia Street and LA 92.
The project is in different stages at each end. Here is how the corridor stood at the October 8 Youngsville City Council meeting, from the mayor and staff updates in the meeting minutes.
| Project | Status reported October 8, 2026 | What it means for the drive |
|---|---|---|
| Hwy 89, Phase 1 | Crews boring and installing conduit for lights, expected to take about three months; Phase B asphalt binder on the east lane starting that Saturday | Active work in the Phase 1 section through roughly the start of 2027 |
| Hwy 89, Phase 2 | Contractor's GMP received on 30% plans; city waiting on a GMP for 60% plans | Design and pricing stage south of Fortune Road |
| Fortune Road Extension | Close-out pending state concurrence | Roundabout in use; paperwork wrapping up |
| Hwy 92 Improvements | Working on punch list items | Final cleanup stage |
| Larriviere Improvements | Box culverts underway, expected complete by end of year | Drainage work through December |
| Hwy 89 Sidewalks, TAP grant | Working on Stage 0 checklist | Pre-construction |
| 2026–2028 Striping Project | Kickoff meeting held, start expected within weeks | Fresh lane markings across the city |
The "start" of Phase 2 is easy to misread. The September status put Phase 2 design at 60%, with utility relocations underway. In October the city was still waiting on the contractor's guaranteed maximum price for the 60% plans. On publish day, the stretch south of Fortune Road is in design, pricing, and utility work, while paving and lighting are happening in the Phase 1 section.
The sidewalk piece is further back still. In February the city announced a $459,737 award from DOTD's Transportation Alternatives Program for sidewalks from NuNu's to Hawk Drive. Federal money covers 90% and the city covers 10%. Design comes first, followed by federal authorization and DOTD's bid and letting process, before any construction starts. According to the release, DOTD received 60 applications totaling more than $106 million in the 2025 cycle.
The next roundabout sits on the Broussard line
Highway 89 isn't the only place in town where drivers will have to learn a new yield. On April 14, the Broussard City Council approved an intergovernmental agreement with Youngsville to build a roundabout at North Larriviere Road and LA 92, replacing the four-way stop there, BY Local News reported. The intersection sits on the boundary between the two cities. The Advocate reported that the cost split follows that line: Youngsville pays 75% and Broussard 25%, matching how much of the roundabout falls in each city.
A four-way stop and a roundabout ask for different habits. At a four-way stop, every driver stops and takes turns. At a roundabout, traffic already in the circle keeps moving and entering drivers yield to it. Fortune Road has shown that drivers tend to keep the old habit for a while after the layout changes.
The money for this work is in both cities' budgets. The Advocate reported that Youngsville's 2026-27 consolidated budget includes $12.1 million for capital outlay, with $5.6 million from state and federal grants, mostly for the Highway 89 widening and the Larriviere Road reconstruction. Broussard's 2026-27 capital budget is $23.7 million, up from about $12 million the previous year, and part of it goes to widening Highway 89 near Ambassador Caffery Parkway. According to the same report, residents of southeastern Lafayette Parish can expect construction to continue over the next 12 months.
Driving the corridor this holiday season
The council report gives a fairly clear picture for the rest of 2026 and the start of 2027. Light conduit and asphalt work continue in the Phase 1 section. Larriviere culvert work runs toward a year-end finish. A citywide striping project was set to begin within weeks of that meeting. Phase 2 moves from plans to pricing. The Fortune Road roundabout is the one piece already in daily use, so the habits drivers settle into there will likely carry over when the corridor's next yields open.
Hot 107.9 summed up the guidance for that circle as slow down, look left, and yield.
Sylvia has spent years on how streets, lots, and neighborhood entrances get planned and built, and roadwork like this shapes how a part of town works day to day. If you'd like to talk about how the Highway 89 changes affect your part of Youngsville, Sylvia McLain & Cody Musgrove are glad to help. Let's Connect.
