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Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

BRIDGE WORK

Jimmie Davis Bridge closure to set back drivers

It’s probably too much to hope for, but maybe some of this month’s Christmas goodwill will carry over to drivers who’ll be dealing with the new year’s closure of the Jimmie Davis Bridge for an estimated yearlong rehab.

Understanding the critical need to rehab this span probably won’t do much to ease the aggravation of finding another route to work and dealing with significantly more traffic on Barksdale Boulevard, Arthur Ray Teague Parkway, and the Clyde Fant Parkway. 

But the bridge, built in 1968, has seen tremendous growth in traffic over the years. Currently, approximately 29,000 motorists a day travel the bridge.

A March 2014 email string between a couple of south Bossier residents and state Department of Transportation and Development Public Information Officer Susan Stafford discussed the condition of the bridge, work to be done on it, and reasoning for its year-long closure. 

The information is worth sharing now in anticipation of the bridge’s closure.  

In response to a suggestion that one lane of the bridge could remain open while the other was rehabbed, and vice versa, Stafford responded:

“DOTD’s number one priority is the safety of the traveling public as well as our construction crews. An essential part of the rehabilitation project includes replacing the deck of the bridge. Furthermore, the travel lanes on the bridge have 12-foot lanes and two-foot shoulders. For these reasons, it would be unsafe to allow traffic to cross the bridge with half the deck removed from the bridge.

“Reducing the bridge to one lane would not safely allow motorists a recovery zone if an incident occurred and would also be very dangerous to crews performing construction work.  Also, this scenario would not allow for emergency vehicles to reach and assist motorists.” 

Stafford also said reducing bridge traffic to one lane would “create significant congestion … resulting in safety issues for motorists and workers.”  

More recently, Sean Green’s Bossier Press Tribune Dec. 2 article reiterated the above information, and added an observation from Sen. Barrow Peacock, who was a strong advocate for the bridge rehab and securing funding for it. 

Peacock said although the rehab is expected to take a year, the bridge may not be closed for the full year.  

“Some parts of the project can allow for traffic,” Peacock told the BPT.

Peacock also addressed the issue of a new bridge, suggesting that possibility is “down the road for several fiscal reasons.”

That’s not hard to imagine given that the cost of the bridge rehab alone is $20.3 million; undoubtedly, the cost of a new two-lane span to create something like the Shreveport-Barksdale bridges necessarily increases each year and would likely be significantly more than this rehab project.     

The project is anticipated to take a year; when finished it will be a smooth, safe ride on what’s promised to be a lovely shade of purple.  

Surely we can hold on to a little of this season’s holiday spirit as we find new routes and take it easy in traffic that the BPT suggested would be an additional 18,000 drivers on Barksdale Boulevard, and 15,000 more vehicles on the ART
Parkway.

In the meantime, here’s hoping for a Christmas filled with family and friends and generosity for those who could use some of our blessings – and a prosperous and bright New Year for all of Forum’s most appreciated readers.

ON STANDS NOW!

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