Posted: May 8, 2023, 6:57 PM
Bossier Parish has big projects in mind for the next fiscal year and it's going to take some help from the area's legislative delegation to move up the ladder of the state's capital outlay list to get them done.
During a meeting with northwest Louisiana's representatives and senators, plus officials from other governmental entities, Parish Administrator Butch Ford outlined ambitious undertakings that will require state assistance to fund nearly $95 million worth of future projects.
At the top of the wish list in terms of cost is the proposed extension of the Arthur Ray Teague Parkway, from its current terminus near Parkway High School south to LA Hwy. 527's intersection with U.S. Hwy. 71. Total cost is an estimated $43.7 million.
Another project on the parish wish list is designed to relieve traffic congestion on a pair of the area's busiest roadways. An east/west corridor connecting Benton Rd. to Airline Dr. and beyond, an estimated $8.2 million project, would do much to alleviate traffic problems, parish officials say.
More highway improvements are on the drawing board with $16.5 million in projects at state highways 157 and 3227 to U.S. Hwy. 80 in Haughton. That, officials say, would help relieve congestion in a rapidly growing area.
Likewise, officials would like to see $15 million set aside for more improvements at the Benton Rd. (LA Hwy. 3)/I-220 interchange and an estimated $6.1 million for a four-lane extension at U.S. Hwy. 71 and Colleen Dr. to help alleviate heavy traffic at Parkway High School.
It's not only highways that would be beneficiaries of capital outlay funds. Recreational facilities could come in with just over $5 million in assistance, with the growing South Bossier Park needing roughly $4.8 million of that total for additional softball fields and just over $190,000 for new pavilions.
Also, parish officials would hope to spend just over $360,000 for improvements and equipment at the new Kingston Rd. Park, located on the south side of Kingston Elementary School. Already, the parish has used $25,000 from a Treasury Dept. grant for fencing at the facility off Fairburn Ave.
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