LA 96 heads east on Terrace Highway and initially passes a few small industrial establishments before entering an area of light suburban development.

The route makes a sharp dip to the south before proceeding in a southeast direction into the small city of St.

It then turns north to follow LA 31 for one block, flanked by a series of historic storefronts and a large Catholic church.

The two highways run concurrent for one block past the local cemetery, and LA 347 turns north onto Resweber Street.

Over the next seven miles (11 km), LA 96 continues in a general northeast direction, curving here and there through rural farmland mixed with light suburban development.

The route curves to the southeast and briefly parallels a wide section of a bayou called Catahoula Lake.

Daily traffic volume in 2013 averaged between 6,500 and 8,100 vehicles west of St. Martinville, peaking at 10,100 at the Bayou Teche bridge.

Beginning at a point on Route 2 Lafayette Parish about 1000 feet south of the Billeaud Sugar Factory, thence running in an easterly direction over the long bridge to the Ducamps[sic] Plantation to meet the old Terrace Road.

At this time, the Broussard city limits encompassed a much smaller area, and the location of the western terminus was known as Billeaud.

Road maps from the era generally show the entire length as Route 479, possibly due to a necessary lack of detail at that scale.

The present swing bridge across Bayou Teche in St. Martinville was built in 1942, replacing an older movable span at that location.

With the 1955 renumbering, the state highway department initially categorized all routes into three classes: "A" (primary), "B" (secondary), and "C" (farm-to-market).