Judge Perez Drive is a major, four-lane thoroughfare located in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. The road was originally named Goodchildren Drive, but was renamed in 1972 for former political boss of St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes, Judge Leander Perez (died 1969). However, in the late 1990s, St. Bernard officials chose to distance themselves from Leander Perez's segregationist legacy, and instead dedicated Judge Perez Drive to the memory of Melvyn Perez, a long-time judge in St. Bernard-- thus distancing the Parish from Leander Perez's controversial legacy without the expense of changing the signs labeled "Judge Perez Drive". However, the term "Judge Perez" is still most frequently associated with Leander Perez in the area.
This is the main commercial artery of St. Bernard Parish. Most all of the retail and commercial development for St. Bernard is located along Judge Perez Drive. Retail development is especially heavy along West Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette, where nearly all of the frontage is commercial. Nearly every major fast food chain is represented here, as well as several large national retailers, many with multiple locations. Along with St. Bernard Highway, and Paris Road, Judge Perez Drive makes up the three major arteries which are the only ways in and out of St. Bernard Parish. All three arteries connect with major thoroughfares in neighboring Orleans Parish.
The thoroughfare, which carries the designation of Louisiana Highway 39, begins as West Judge Perez Drive in Arabi at the border between Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes as a continuation of North Claiborne Avenue. It becomes East Judge Perez Drive at its intersection with Paris Road (Louisiana Highway 47) and continues as such for several miles, finally narrowing to two lanes and then ending at Bayou Road, near St. Bernard High School. The roadway received damage ranging from significant to severe after the levee breaches during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which submerged the Drive in as much as 14 feet (4.3 m) of oil-polluted flood water in some areas. The flooding waterlogged and undermined the foundation. This would not be a major problem on road only required to handle minimal traffic, but in the aftermath of the storm, the large military vehicles and heavy supply trucks have caused the roadway to cave in or be crushed in some areas, as with most major roads in areas that remained under water for more than two weeks. Temporary repairs have been made, but the road remains very rough in parts.
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