LA DOTD "Pick the Paint" Poll for Jimmie Davis Bridge (LA 511)

[bassoon1986]

http://www.ksla.com/story/24916175/bridge-improvement-project-may-cause-detours-in-south-bossier?autostart=true&utm_content=buffera98cb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

BOSSIER CITY, LA (KSLA) -
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has received thousands of votes so far in the "Pick the Paint" campaign for the Jimmie Davis Bridge.

The bridge that connects Shreveport and Bossier City is slated to get a facelift, and the public is being asked to pick the new paint color.

Currently, DOTD has received over 2,700 votes from the public, and so far, with more than 34 percent of the vote, purple is in the lead with blue and red following behind.

The Louisiana DOTD launched "Pick the Paint," a campaign to get citizens to vote on the paint, on March 7. The public has until May 2nd to determine the new color of the bridge.

The DOTD announced that this fall, bids will be taken for a project to rehabilitate the bridge. A complete closure of the bridge will be necessary for crews to safely and quickly perform work, once it is underway, DOTD officials said.

Real estate agent Sherry Stapf-Tolisano said it's about time. "I think people get the wrong impression of South Bossier because that bridge is such an eyesore," she said.

Stapf-Tolisano, whose office is located near the bridge, said she is excited about the improvements and doesn't think the construction will negatively affect her business because they don't depend on foot traffic.

The $15 to $20 million project will involve re-decking, performing structural repairs, installing lighting and painting the bridge, the DOTD stated in a press release. The repairs will improve the quality of the rides for the 21,500 motorist that cross it daily. It will also extend the life of the bridge, the DOTD said.

"The bridge is pitiful now, it's rusty looking and it needs painting," said Foster Campbell, a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, owns a South Bossier insurance company by the bridge. "It's going to be inconvenient for a lot of people, but progress has to be made, sometimes people are inconvenienced for a while but it's something that needs to be done," said Campbell.

Citizens will be able to vote for their favorite color of paint for the bridge on the DOTD's website or the "Pick the Paint" Facebook page. The site was launched on Friday and 1,600 votes have already been cast, said DOTD spokeswoman Susan Stafford.
Color choices include blue, purple, green, gold, gray, orange and red.

Bids for the bridge work will be taken in October. Construction is expected to begin in early 2015 and take about one year to complete.

The comments on the KSLA news page weren't too positive from the ArkLaTex viewers. I'd have to say I agree. While the bridge definitely needs an upgrade and the paint would be cool, it needs a 4 laning way worse than just beautifying the present one. I would almost wager that this bridge sees more traffic than the I-220 bridge. It's overdue in that area for the traffic and commuters on both sides of the river.

[NE2]

No brown?

[jbnv]

Purple?

For the record, the silver paint that they are applying on the US 190 bridge in Baton Rouge looks very nice.

[mcdonaat]

Purple?

For the record, the silver paint that they are applying on the US 190 bridge in Baton Rouge looks very nice.

I would like to see an orange applied to the Jimmie Davis. Orange stands out beautifully along the blue sky, and it is the only tall thing around!

The silver for the MRB surprises me, since the bridge used to be blue.

[cjk374]

Purple?

For the record, the silver paint that they are applying on the US 190 bridge in Baton Rouge looks very nice.

I would like to see an orange applied to the Jimmie Davis. Orange stands out beautifully along the blue sky, and it is the only tall thing around!

The silver for the MRB surprises me, since the bridge used to be blue.

Orange (especially safety orange) would fade fast to a drab white.

[mcdonaat]

Green? So the public can know that the state wasted tons of money on closing, cleaning, and painting a substandard bridge carrying far more traffic than it was designed to.