LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — With the extensive and expensive repair work on the I-10 overpass nearly complete, many Lafayette residents continue to wonder where the payment for this work will come from.

On Jan. 4, an 18-wheeler hit the I-10 overpass of I-49, damaging the foundation of the overpass.

These damages caused lane closures and traffic build-ups that are still happening almost three months later.

The Department of Transportation (DOTD) has worked extensively on the bridge since the incident, bringing in multiple crew members and requiring two separate phases of work to remove the broken section of the overpass, fabricate the new pieces, and install the completed pieces to the overpass.

In a report filed by the Lafayette Police Department, the driver of the truck, Anthony Moreau, was cited for violating trailer height regulations. But many Lafayette residents feel this isn’t enough, and the state should not have to pay for the damages done by the driver.

With the costs of the repairs continuing to climb, the DOTD will be taking legal action to be reimbursed for the repairs by Bebe Thrasher (the company that owns the truck) and Ele Construction (the company that owns the trailer).

“When it comes to this particular incident or any situation where the structures have incurred some type of impact, we go through a legal process to seek reimbursement for those damages,” said Deidra Druilhet of DOTD.

Druilhet was not able to provide a comment on where the department is in the legal process, but she said that these actions are common when a driver damages state roadways.