Could 154 Near Lake Bistineau Be Reopened By Christmas?

On September 12 when the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development began the bridge replacement project on LA 154 just east of the Lake Bistineau Dam, they told us it would be a lengthy process and to expect closure of a long stretch of this highly traveled road for months, extending into 2023.

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What DOTD is addressing is the complete replacement of two separate bridges that cross over Morrow Branch near McCoy Road.  Both were both constructed in 1966 and have reached the end of their useful service life

For those that don't normally travel this area, LA 154 is the main throughfare between Ringgold and Elm Grove so this closure would cost some people lots of extra travel time to make the detour.

See the map below to get a better idea of exactly which area has been closed.

And though this stretch has indeed been closed for a little over two months, according to the DOTD,

DOTD crews are nearing completion of the replacement of two bridges on LA 154 near Lake Bistineau in Bienville Parish. Work on these bridge replacements will wrap up several weeks ahead of schedule. These bridges were aging and needed to be replaced.

The project is anticipated to last until early 2023, with progress dependent on weather conditions and other factors.

This news is much like having a car salesman walk up to you and tell you that they actually misprinted the price on the sticker of the truck you'd like to buy and it's actually $10,000 less. It just doesn't happen.  But this time it has.

DOTD is weeks ahead of schedule, and even though they don't give a target date for the reopening of the area, there has to be a chance that the highway could be open for travel once again by Christmas.

Until then access to McCoy Road will continue to be maintained but traffic is not allowed through the active work site.