Traffic Alert! Linton Road Bridge Work is Set to Begin April 20

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For those who live on and around Cypress Lake and Black Bayou in northern Bossier Parish, the commutes to and from work and school are about to get complicated for a little over a year.

Apparently, it's all necessary though, as beginning this coming Tuesday, April 20, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development will begin an in-depth, $5 million project to remove and replace the Linton Road bridge over Black Bayou Reservoir.

The bridge was built in 1978 and apparently it no longer meets the needs of those who live in the area or those who travel there in order to enjoy the recreational water sports on the lakes.

They will also construct a new retaining wall and new drainage structures.

This will be a tough pill to swallow though, as this is a lengthy project and it's not expected to be completed until early summer 2022.

Obviously this will cause a number of detours and re-routing. Northbound traffic will be detoured on LA 3 (Benton Road) to LA 162 to Linton Cutoff Road and back to Linton Road. Southbound traffic will be detoured on Linton Road to Linton Cutoff Road to LA 162 to LA 3 southbound.

Due to the location of Benton Elementary School on LA 162, traffic patterns will be closely monitored at peak travel times once the closure goes into effect to determine any necessary timing adjustments to the traffic signal at the intersection of LA 162 and LA 3.

Other adjustments may be made as traffic volumes and patterns change during the project. While some delays and congestion are to be expected, especially during peak travel times, DOTD and the Bossier Parish Police Jury will take appropriate measures to alleviate that congestion as much as possible.

No boat traffic will be allowed near or through the construction zone. This is for the safety of both the boaters and the crews working on the project while the bridge replacement is underway.