With the snip of a ribbon Thursday, a $1.6 million West Linton Rd. was declared completed and officially opened to connect Fairburn Ave. to the intersection of Palmetto Rd. and Airline Dr.

“This is an example of what Bossier Parish does,” said former parish Police Jury member Wanda Bennett. “We see a need, we pool our resources and then work together to do what must be done to benefit the people of our parish.”

Bennett played a key role in making the roadway a reality during her tenure on the police jury.

Opening West Linton Rd. means traffic from a pair of schools located on Fairburn Ave. will have an alternate means of entrance and exit rather than a single point at Kingston Rd. To Sheriff Julian Whittington, that pays big dividends from a safety standpoint.

“To all of us, the safety of our residents is very important,” he said. “This road means we have a way to alleviate some traffic problems and make it much safer for the students and parents.”

Bossier Parish Engineer Butch Ford said the West Linton Rd. extension was part of the parish’s $20 million wish list of infrastructure projects necessary to accommodate continued growth and development.

“This is something we knew would be necessary,” he said. “Thanks to the hard work of Mrs. Bennett and many others, and to the landowners who donated the property to us, we were able to get this done.”

Landowners who donated property for the W. Linton Road extension project were Atkins-Sonnier Family Lands, LLC, and Miciotto Properties, L.P.