DOTD announces project to improve US 79 in Caddo Parish
Thursday, August 08, 2019 at 7:03:40 AM
DOTD announces project to improve US 79 in Caddo Parish
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announces a project to enhance safety and repair the highway along US 79 in west Caddo Parish.
The $8.2 million project was awarded to Best-Yet Builders, LLC, and stretches from the Texas state line at Bethany, LA to the US 80 intersection in Greenwood.
Nearly 7 miles of US 79 will undergo a patch, mill, and overlay, as well as shoulder stabilization. Patching prior to the mill and overlay addresses more severely damaged portions and greatly prolongs the service life of the roadway.
Additionally, the busy intersection of US 79 and US 80 - which services approximately 23,900 vehicles per day - will see significant improvements in the form of concrete ‘white topping.’ White topping is a method that uses a layer of concrete bonded to the asphalt underneath to form a more durable roadway surface in areas that experience heavy traffic volume.
Also as part of this project, approximately 70 trees that currently sit in the state right-of-way ‘clear zone’ will be removed. The clear zone is an unobstructed, traversable roadside area that allows a driver to stop safely, or regain control of a vehicle that has left the roadway.
These trees pose a safety hazard based on crash data. Over a 6 year period, 40% of the crashes on US 79 were recorded as roadway departures. Roadway departure type crashes account for over 60% of the highway fatalities in Louisiana.
Louisiana has identified roadway departure crashes as one of the major emphasis areas in the state’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). Clear zone improvements – such as the removal of these trees – have been identified as infrastructure strategies that will reduce the potential for serious injury of fatality crashes.
The contractor will begin by removing some of the smaller trees in mid-August 2019. All of the trees in the clear zone will be specially marked for removal.
The entire project is expected to be complete in late Spring 2020, with progress always dependent on weather conditions.
To read more about the SHSP, visit www.destinationzerodeaths.com.
Contact information:
Erin Buchanan
Public Information Officer
Shreveport-Bossier District
(318) 549-8402
erin.buchanan@la.gov