Plan to Move $100 Million from I-49 in Shreveport Fails in House Committee

No deal for State Representative Cedric Glover on his proposal to move $100 million dollars from the I-49 inner city connector to the Jimmie Davis Bridge.

The House Appropriations denied his attempt to move the money on an 11-5 vote.

Glover read a letter to the committee from Bossier Mayor Elect Tommy Chandler supporting his proposal to move the money. But many lawmakers have concerns that the Shreveport Bossier delegation has been and continues to be split on this issue. DOTD representatives told the committee the environmental work still has to be complete on the Jimmie Davis Bridge.

DOTD is currently planning to build a new 2-lane bridge at a cost of about $80 million. An additional $40 million would be used to refurbish the current bridge. That would give our area 4 lanes crossing the river.

One of the big problems with this legislation is the local delegation. Many lawmakers say if the Shreveport Bossier delegation can not come together and decide how this money should be spent, what do they expect from the rest of the legislature.

Glover admits he made a mistake in 2019 when he voted to move the money from the Jimmie Davis Bridge to the I-49 inner city connector. And he is trying to correct this mistake. But he did not win many votes with the committee.

Representative Raymond Crews told KEEL News he would support the Glover effort, but this was before he heard from other members of the local delegation. In the end, Crews did not vote on the measure.