Jimmie Davis Bridge to Get Some Much-Needed Improvements

A new concrete deck, a complete paint job and lighting -- those are just a few things we'll see once a rehabilitation project begins on the Jimmie Davis Bridge.

Louisiana DOTS spokeswoman Susan Stafford says the bridge, built in 1968, hasn't seen any big improvements in about 10 years.

Stafford says this isn't a widening project, though. "It's just rehabbing the existing bridge structure," she says. "The rehab is just going to improve the ride quality and help extend the life of the bridge." She adds that this bridge sees a lot of traffic -- averaging about 21,000 motorists a day.

The bridge will be completely shut down while the work is going on, and that could create some congestion issues in other areas of town.

"We're still working out the details as far as impacts to traffic," Stafford says. "Any time we do a construction project, we always realize there are going to be some traffic impacts to folks. But we encourage people to plan ahead and maybe plan for alternative routes. We do have a lot of other sources to get across the Red River."

The project is set to go out for bids this coming October, and work is expected to begin in early 2015. The cost is between $15- and $20-million, which comes from a combination of state bond money and federal funds.