Shreveport-Bossier’s Big Dreams: Which Massive Projects Actually Happened?

A few years ago, I put together a list of some big projects planned for the Shreveport Bossier area. Some of them were probably never going to happen and some were close to being taken care of.

Let's look back at these ideas and see where we are with these big dreams. Some have been completed. Some are still in the works and some will probably never be done.

I've been keeping a list of these projects for several years and can tell you one of them was scratched off the list a few years ago. That one is the move of the Confederate Monument in front of the Caddo Courthouse. That monument was actually moved to private property in DeSoto Parish in the summer of 2022.

Confederate Monument Moved from in Front of Caddo Courthouse

The Caddo Commission voted 7-5 to move the Confederate Monument from the grounds of the Courthouse, but the legal fight took several years to finalize. But this one is a wrap.

Another big project on my list was getting the Amazon plant up and going. That actually happened in the summer of 2024 and the plant now has about 2,000 employees.

Amazon Plant Opens for Business

This project moved quickly and the company has hired twice as many people as expected.

Fairgrounds Field Has Been Torn Down

The old baseball stadium was torn down in late 2024. No word yet on what the city plans to do with that property.

Chasing Aces Golf Development in Bossier City

A new sports experience is now open near the Bossier Boardwalk. Chasing Aces Golf is up and going right next to the Margaritaville Casino. It opened in the summer of 2025. It features interactive swing bays to dining experiences. It also features an exclusive 9 Hole Smart Course designed in collaboration with Arnold Palmer Design Team.

Diamond Jacks Casino Transformation into Live Casino

The Diamond Jacks Casino sat empty for several years. It closed during the pandemic and never reopened. But the Cordish Company out of Baltimore bought the property and transformed it into a gambling and resort destination. Cordish currently operates gaming and entertainment ventures in Houston, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, among other major US markets. LIVE Casino opened in Bossier in February of 2025.

A New Jimmie Davis Bridge

We all know the Jimmie Davis Bridge has been in terrible shape for years. Instead of revamping that old bridge, the state decided to replace the old bridge with a new 4-laned bridge. The projected cost was more than $220 million but the bids came in above $360 million to build the new bridge. The work started in May of 2024. It's about 55% complete and is expected to be open to traffic in late 2027..

Knight Street Improvements

Don't get me started on this one. But in 2011, 3 bond proposals passed totaling $175 million dollars. Much of that work is complete but there are some projects yet to be done. One of them is Knight Street which was to be overlaid, sidewalks installed along with lighting. This road is almost complete. All the crews have left to do is the striping and the lighting. But I am told another company will be hired to do the lighting. It's only taken 15 years to get a quarter mile of roadway done!!

I-49 Inner City Connector

The NLCOG Board is getting really close to turning some dirt on this project. The final draft of the environmental impact study is now in the hands of the feds and the route has been selected (though it's not being announced publicly). Another public hearing can be held and then the state can begin the bid process and get moving. This 3 mile stretch of highway will take 5-7 years to build.

And here are the projects on that list that will probably NEVER be done.

Cross Bayou Park Built on Riverfront

In 1996, Shreveport voters passed a $5 million dollar bond issue for Cross Bayou development. But what were we promised and what has been delivered since that election. Here's the verbiage that was on the ballot: "Authority to issue not exceeding $5 million in General Obligation Bonds for acquiring and/or improving lands for a public park." We have no public park at Cross Bayou and that's been more than 25 years.

Elio Cars Will Be Built at the Old GM Plant

Caddo Parish bought the plant from General Motors when the auto giant shut down operations. Elio Motors pledged to begin building a 3-wheeled car at the plant, but it's never happened. This one is dead. The clock has run out on Elio which promised to create 1,500 jobs in Caddo Parish or higher lease payments on the property.

Rev Entertainment

This proposal is also dead. It was a pie in the sky idea to bring a major development to the property where Fairgrounds Field is located. REV Entertainment wanted to build and manage a multi-million dollar mixed-use facility in Shreveport. But one big question is where the $75 million dollars will come from the fund the project. Shreveport would be on the hook for the funding. A study commissioned by the city suggested the return on investment would not be good.