At this week’s Bossier City Council meeting on Tuesday, many citizens and council members commented on the traffic impact of the Walter O. Bigby northbound lane on Benton Road.
These preceded a council vote to deny a zoning change which Smith voted to approve. See SettleTalk below.
Here are comments by Smith on his council Facebook page along with a copy of the letter he sent to Bossier Mayor Tommy Chandler:
"At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, I said I would formally request a comprehensive safety review of the Benton Road corridor. Yesterday, I sent the attached letter to Mayor Tommy Chandler requesting that our engineering staff conduct a corridor-wide safety analysis and identify potential improvements based on engineering data and not predetermined solutions.
I’m pleased to report that the City has already acted. I was informed by CAO Shane Cheatham that our City Engineer has initiated the study and will develop potential safety recommendations for consideration.
Thank you to Mayor Tommy Chandler, CAO Shane Cheatham, Council President Brian Hammons, and our engineering staff for responding so quickly. This is how local government should work, listen to concerns, evaluate the facts, and make decisions based on sound engineering and data.
I’ll continue to keep everyone updated as the study progresses."
LEAD BY COUNCILMAN COCHRAN BOSSIER COUNCIL MAKES RIGHT CALL ON REZONING REQUEST
The Bossier Council yesterday denied a request to rezone a home on the corner of Douglas Drive and Benton Road to B-1 to allow for a chiropractic clinic, with a 6-1 vote; only South Bossier councilman Chris Smith voted in favor of the measure.
Councilman Craton Cothran was the leading opponent, stating that he had lived on Douglas for 24 years, has family members still living on that street and now lives near the intersection.
Craton emphasized his personal interaction with residents while walking that street and noted the concerns of the many unheard citizens who do not play on social media yet opposed the proposal.
Bossier City’s Assistant Attorney Richard Ray provided eye-opening information on the number of auto crashes at that intersection: zero in 2022, one in 2023, four in 2024, seven in 2025, and 11 as of June 30, 2026.
Ray stated that 22 accidents were projected for the current year on an annualized basis. He noted that the opening of the Walter O. Bigby Carriageway in September 2024 was likely a contributing factor to the alarming increase in accidents at Douglas and Benton Road.
Many citizens living in that area made cogent arguments against the re-zoning without the hysteria often heard in zoning cases.
Overall, the information Ray provided, comments from neighbors, and council member discussion of the measure exemplified good government in action, further evidencing that Bossier is a city on the move, albeit in a responsible manner.
Hats off to the citizens who appeared, Ray, and the six council members who voted "No."