By Stacey Tinsley, stinsley@bossierpress.com
Bossier Parish is preparing to begin improving roads across the parish with new asphalt and gravel.
As part of the Bossier Parish Police Jury’s road overlay program, Parish Engineer Butch Ford assesses roads in each district to determine which ones need to be overlayed with new asphalt over the next three years.
The road overlay program is a condition survey of the roadways that is conducted every year. Funding for the road overlay program comes from the Highway Fund, which is collected from taxes.
The determining factors for being put in the road overlay program are growth of the area, surface condition, and cracking in the road.
“We try to stay on top of our roads to keep them in a good to fair condition,” said Ford.
Typically the lifespan for an asphalt road is 15 years.
Towards the end of last year, Ford made his assessment of what parish roads will have an estimate of two inches of asphalt laid down in 2021. A complete list of those roads are as follows:
- Bob Brotherton, District 1: A combined 4.30 miles will be overlayed with asphalt on Alford Rd, Oliver Rd, Camp Zion Rd, Potter Rd, Watkins Rd, Moore Rd, and Robinson Rd.
- Glenn Benton, District 2: A combined 1.80 miles will be overlayed with asphalt on Chandler Rd, High Point Rd, Taylor Bend Rd, Echo Ridge, Pine Creek, Bellevue Rd and one lane south bound.
- Wanda Bennett, District 3: A combined 2.00 miles will be overlayed with asphalt on Old Plain Dealing, Linda lane and Big Pine Key.
- Norman Craig, District 4: A combined 6.60 miles will be overlayed with asphalt on Mott Rd, Firetower Rd, Old Plain Dealing, Bodcau Dam, Jones Rd, Oliver Rd, Camp Zion Rd and Bellevue Rd.
- Jack Skaggs, District 5: A combined 1.80 miles will be overlayed with asphalt on Old Brownlee Rd, N. Willow, Alder Lane and Lakewood Point.
- Rick Avery, District 6: A combined 1.00 miles will be overlayed with asphalt on Wemple Rd and Old Brownlee Rd.
- Doug Rimmer, District 8: A combined 0.70 miles will be overlayed with asphalt on Villa Dr and Bellevue Rd. Betty Joan will receive 0.10 miles of gravel overlayed.
- Mac Plummer, District 12: A combined 1.10 miles will be overlayed with asphalt on Jeremy Lane, Jay Dr and Ash Point Rd.
Through all districts, the road overlay program will overlay 19.30 miles of road with asphalt and 0.10 miles of gravel in 2021.
