This is a big week for the Shreveport-Bossier City area with the groundbreaking ceremony for construction of a new, $361.7 million Jimmie Davis Bridge (LA 511). Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry spoke to the crowd on Tuesday afternoon at nearby RiverPark Church on the Shreveport side.
The governor said that a new bridge [which connects the southern ends of Shreveport and Bossier City] will be just the kind of spark plug that can lead to sustained economic growth. Landry explained, “Infrastructure is a vital component to a healthy economy. Our roads, bridges, and transportation networks are what move our state’s people and commerce.”
Currently, an estimated 25,000 vehicles cross the two-lane bridge daily. According to the LaDOTD, the new bridge will have two more lanes, a median, and three spaces for U-turns, with the volume of traffic expected to rise. Construction is expected to be completed and open to traffic in early 2027.
This is a project 16 years in the making, which had been in development since 2008. The old Jimmie Davis Bridge will be converted into a walking bridge. Pre-construction actually got underway in 2023 after the state awarded the project to James Construction Group.
As the Louisiana Radio Network reports, Joe Donahue, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development added, “This is an exciting day, not just for Shreveport and Bossier City, but also for DOTD. It is not every day that we break ground on a project of this size and scope. It has been a long time coming.”
