Posted: Oct 11, 2021, 6:49 PM
One of Bossier Parish’s busiest intersections is scheduled for a major overhaul following action last week by the parish Police Jury.
Jury members voted unanimously to award a $741,000 contract to Earnest Contracting for turn lane extensions at the Benton Rd. (LA Hwy. 3)/I-220 intersection, a project designed to help improve north and south traffic flow through the area. Bossier Parish and the city of Bossier City will split the project cost.
LA Hwy. 3 is a state highway and a permit from the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has been obtained for the construction work.
Traffic studies have shown roughly 30 percent of the driving population of Bossier Parish travels through the intersection, both northbound and southbound, Monday through Friday mornings and afternoons.
Plans call for the lane extensions to be completed within 45-60 days. District 6 Police Jury member Chris Marsiglia said the project hopefully will be finished before the state begins rehabilitation of I-20 through Bossier City. That project is scheduled to go out for bid next month.
“We understand the I-20 rehab project will take about two years to complete and it will push a lot of traffic off I-20 onto I-220,” he said. “We want to have the Benton Rd. project finished to help handle any increase in the volume of traffic at that intersection. We understand this will be a temporary inconvenience, but it will be a major improvement to traffic flow and public safety.”
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