JOHN E. SETTLE JR
Editor/Publisher
The Bossier City Council meeting on Tuesday featured an extended discussion by the council and members of the public over the proposed closing of the Old Shed Road rail crossing.
The speakers provided much-needed information, and active questions by Councilman Jeff Darby were pivotal in having both a public review of a controversial issue as well as a much-needed, 30-day extension for additional review.
The extension of the Arthur Teague Parkway to Benton Road is to feature a bridge across the Union Pacific rail line. The extension, named the Walter O. Bigby Carriageway, will connect south Bossier to north Bossier in a railroad-free artery with a limited number of red lights.
Union Pacific has issued a permit to allow the bridge over their rail line, but there has been some confusion about obtaining a permit to maintain the rail crossing on Old Shed Road. City Attorney Charles Jacobs wrongly concluded that NTB Design had failed to get the needed permit to maintain the crossing.
After being confronted with facts, Jacobs pulled back on his effort to cancel the NTB contract. Although it has not been expressly admitted, it is apparent that the Manchac Group dropped the ball on obtaining the permit to keep the rail crossing open after completion of the carriageway construction.
At the meeting, the city administration said that Union Pacific will not allow the bridge over the rail line unless the Old Shed Road crossing is closed.
Former Bossier Councilman Thomas Harvey was one of the speakers who addressed the council. His well-reasoned statement is summarized below:
1. In July 2007, the Bossier City Council approved the acquisition of Shed Road rights of way to expand the road to four lanes at a cost of $1.6 million.
2. In 2020, the expansion from two lanes to four lanes was completed at a cost of $9.8 million. Bossier City paid $1.9 million, and the state paid the balance on an 80/20 split.
3. Businesses and homeowners along Shed Road had to endure four years of construction headaches that substantially reduced business and caused many frustrations to residents from the actual construction.
4. The proposed rail closing will discourage traffic from using the four lanes between Airline Drive and Benton Road to access the Carriageway.
5. Closing the rail crossing will force drivers who would have exited the Carriageway roundabout (to be constructed) in front of McElroy Metals to seek a longer alternative to get to the four-lane Shed Road connector.
6. Vehicles will then have two options.
7. The first is to exit the Carriageway at the Hamilton Road roundabout and go south to the light on Hamilton Road and Texas Street, then turn left on Texas Street and go east to Benton Road and then turn right on Shed Road.
8. A second option will be to stay on the Carriageway until it intersects Benton Road. From there, drivers can decide whether to backtrack south on Benton Road to Shed Road or to cut through old Greenacres at Douglas Drive or Melrose Avenue, depending on their destination.
9. The engineering design approved had always included a connection between Shed Road and the Carriageway.
10. The logic of Union Pacific for the stated demand that the rail crossing must be permanently closed is not justified by the statement of numerous accidents because they happen at most Bossier rail crossings. (Although not pointed out, Union Pacific installed crossing arms on Shed Road within the last five years that have basically resolved the accident issue.)
11. Closing the rail crossing should be a well-discussed, reviewed and studied action. The businesses in that area, traffic safety and long-term effects of closing the crossing are important factors in this decision-making process.
Thankfully, the council voted to delay the action for 30 days on a motion by Darby that was supported by Chris Smith, Vince Maggio and Jeff Free. Hopefully, Darby, Smith and another councilman who voted yes will be actively involved in further discussions with the administration, NTB Design, Manchac and Union Pacific. Those who voted against the extension — i.e., David Montgomery, Scott Irwin and Don “Bubba” Williams — should not be a part of the process.