Interstate 220 Louisiana

Interstate 220 Louisiana

Overview

Providing both a bypass for I-20 around Shreveport and Bossier City and part of the link between I-49 north to Texarkana, Arkansas and south to Alexandria, Interstate 220 is a 17 mile long loop. The freeway branches north from I-20 and LA 3132 (Inner Loop Expressway) and spans Cross Lake to I-49 in North Shreveport. I-220 turns east at U.S. 71 and crosses the Red River ahead of a retail corridor in north Bossier City. Eastern reaches of the freeway loop serve an array of industrial parks, subdivisions and Louisiana Downs Casino And Racetrack.

The systems interchange joining Interstate 220 with I-49 North Segment K2 at North Shreveport was completed on October 17, 2018. The exchange officially opened to traffic following a celebration attended by Governor John Bel Edwards and several state and local officials. Construction on Segment K2 started in 2014. The $142 million project included rebuilding I-220 and adding auxiliary lanes between Exit 5 (LA 173 / Hilry Hickaby III Avenue) and Exit 7A (U.S. 71 / North Market Street).1

Interstate 49 was formally routed alongside both I-220 west from North Shreveport to I-20/LA 3132 (Inner Loop Expressway), and on I-20 east from I-220 to the four level interchange with I-49 at Pete Harris Drive/Allen Avenue by action of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on May 21, 2019. Trailblazers for I-49 posted along both I-20 and I-220 provide route continuity between the separate sections leading into Shreveport.

Work on the I-220/I-20 Barksdale Air Force Base (BAFB) Interchange Access Project broke ground on May 15, 2019.4 Funded in part with GARVEE bonds, and contributions from Bossier City, Bossier Parish and the North Louisiana Council of Governments (NLCOG),5 $90 million in construction adds a new roadway that will provide an eastern entrance into BAFB, and open up previously inaccessible areas for development. Anticipated completion of the access road, new BAFB gate and the interchange modification at I-20 was Fall 2021.4 Several change orders extended the project timeline to an anticipated completion in Summer 2022.6

History

The bypass loop of Shreveport was part of the urban Interstate numerology submitted to the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) by the Louisiana Department of Highways. It was initially numbered as Route A20, with Route B20 assigned to the planned loop around Monroe. These changed to I-220 and I-420 respectively per instructions from AASHO on July 2, 1958 and were approved on November 10, 1958.

The last section of Interstate 220 completed was the bridge over Cross Lake in 1988. Topping out at 24.6 feet, the span extends 10,230 feet between Exits 2 and 4.1

Route Information

  • East End – Bossier City, LA

  • West End – Shreveport, LA

  • Mileage – 17.62

  • Cities – Shreveport, Bossier City

  • Junctions – I-20 I-49

Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

I-220 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)

Source: 2015 – Caddo Parish, 2016 Bossier Parish – LADOTD Traffic Monitoring

Interstate 220 and LA 3123 (Inner Loop Expressway) were originally planned to form a complete beltway encircling Shreveport and Bossier City. Anthony Kennerson posted on the Southeast Roads and Transport group in 2003 that the belt route was to be:2

a full loop with the eastern quadrant slicing through property of Barksdale Air Force Base and crossing the Red River about a mile south of the existing Jimmie Davis (LA 518) Bridge. More than likely, both lack of cash and the difficulties with negotiating with the US Air Force regarding using ROW from Barksdale contributed to cutting the full loop short.

Interstate 220 was shown on some American Automobile Association (AAA) maps from 1979 into the 1980s extending south and then east to meet then-proposed I-49 along the Inner Loop Expressway. The freeway loop between I-20 and LA 523 (Flournoy Lucas Road) was eventually constructed as State Highway 3132.

Shreveport, LA - 1979

 Photo Guides

East End I-20 – Bossier City, Louisiana

I-220 East at I-20

I-220 east at I-20 - Bossier City, LA

Interstate 220 curves southeast and meets U.S. 79/80 adjacent to Louisiana Downs Casino and Racetrack just ahead of I-20. 10/03/21

I-220 east at I-20 - Bossier City, LA

Entering the folded diamond interchange (Exit 17 A) with U.S. 79/80 on I-220 east. U.S. 79/80 parallel I-20 to the north between Red Chute and Bossier City. 10/03/21

I-220 east at I-20 - Bossier City, LA

All remaining traffic along I-220 eastbound shifted onto the ramps for I-20 beside a roadway stub. 09/07/09

I-220 east at I-20 - Bossier City, LA

The westbound on-ramp to Bossier City and Shreveport is Exit 17 B while the ramp for I-20 east to Minden, Ruston and Monroe defaults as the Interstate 220 mainline. 09/07/09

I-20 West at I-220

I-20 west at I-220 - Bossier City, LA

Interstate 20 passes between the unincorporated community of Red Chute and Flag Lake in Barksdake AFB ahead of the split with I-220 at Exit 26. Photo by Chris Patriarca (04/08/03).

I-20 west at I-220 - Bossier City, LA

Exit 26 is the first of 16 interchanges for the Bossier City and Shreveport vicinity. Downtown Shreveport is another eight miles to the west via I-20. Photo by Jeff Royston (01/18/02).

I-20 west at I-220 - Bossier City, LA

Grading for a c/d roadway and loop ramps appear along the north side of I-20 for the unconstructed extension of I-220 south beyond this overhead. Photo by Jeff Royston (01/18/02).

I-20 East at I-220

I-20 east at I-220 - Bossier City, LA

Interstate 20 runs along an industrial area east to Exit 26 for I-220 west in Bossier City. 05/20/14

I-20 east at I-220 - Bossier City, LA

Exit 26 is the last Shreveport area interchange along I-20 eastbound. The freeway proceeds along the north side of Barksdale Air Force Base another seven miles from I-220 to LA 157 near Fillmore. 05/20/14

I-20 east at I-220 - Bossier City, LA

Interstate 220 arcs west back through Bossier City while I-20 travels 90 miles east to Monroe. 05/20/14

I-20 east at I-220 - Bossier City, LA

Stubs and grading were built into the exchange with Interstate 220 for the unbuilt extension south into Barksdale AFB. 05/20/14

West End – I-20 I-49 LA 3132 – Shreveport, Louisiana

I-49 South I-220 West at I-20 LA 3132

I-220/49 west at I-20/LA 3132 - Shreveport

Exit 1B departs I-220 west and I-49 south in a quarter mile for Interstate 20 to Greenwood, and Marshall, Texas. 10/03/21

I-220/49 west at I-20/LA 3132 - Shreveport

I-49/220 angle southwest from Cross Lake to succeeding interchanges with Lakeshore Drive and Jefferson Paige Road. Exit 1 B follows at a wye interchange for I-20 west to Dallas, Texas. 10/03/21

I-220/49 west at I-20/LA 3132 - Shreveport

Interstate 20 travels west from Shreveport to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas and east to Monroe and Jackson, Mississippi. 10/08/21

I-220/49 west at I-20/LA 3132 - Shreveport

U.S. 79/80 navigate across the exchange joining I-49 south / I-220 west with I-20 and LA 3132 (Inner Loop Expressway). Exit 1 C follows for I-20/49 east back into Shreveport as I-220 west transitions to the Inner Loop Expressway. LA 3132 arcs 7.5 miles southeast to a four level interchange with Interstate 49. 10/08/21

I-220/49 west at I-20/LA 3132 - Shreveport

Interstate 49 dog legs 5.5 miles east alongside I-20 from Exit 1 C to its alignment south from Shreveport. 10/08/21

LA 3132 West at I-20 I-49 I-220

LA 3132 west at I-20/49/220 - Shreveport

LA 3132 (Inner Loop Expressway) heads a quarter mile north from the diamond interchange with LA 511 by Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) to Exits 1 B/C with I-20/49 at Interstate 220. 10/03/21

LA 3132 west at I-20/49/220 - Shreveport

Exit 1 B separates from LA 3132 west along a flyover for Interstate 20 west to Dallas, Texas. 10/03/21

LA 3132 west at I-20/49/220 - Shreveport

LA 3132 west becomes Interstate 220 east as Exit 1C departs for I-20/49 east into Shreveport. 10/03/21

I-20 West I-49 North at I-220 LA 3132

I-20/49 west at I-220/LA 3132 - Shreveport, LA

I-20/49 advance 0.75 miles west from the diamond interchange (Exit 13) with Monkhouse Drive to Interstate 220 and LA 3132 east. 10/03/21

I-20/49 west at I-220/LA 3132 - Shreveport, LA

A distributor roadway (Exit 11) separates from I-20 west in a quarter mile for the Inner Loop Expressway south and I-49 north / I-220 east over Cross Lake. 10/03/21

I-20/49 west at I-220/LA 3132 - Shreveport, LA

Northbound I-49 combines with I-220 east six miles to North Shreveport, where it separates toward Texarkana, Arkansas. 10/03/21

I-20/49 west at I-220/LA 3132 - Shreveport, LA

The last section of Interstate 49 between Shreveport and Texarkana was completed on October 17, 2018. 10/03/21

I-20 East at I-49 I-220 LA 3132

I-20 east at I-49-220/LA 3132 - Shreveport

I-20 advances east from a commercialized diamond interchange (Exit 10) with Pines Road to meet I-220 east, I-49 north and LA 3132 east. 10/03/21

I-20 east at I-49-220/LA 3132 - Shreveport

Two lanes partition from Interstate 20 east for both I-220 to I-49 north for Texarkana and LA 3132 (Inner Loop Expressway) for I-49 south to Alexandria. 10/03/21

I-20 east at I-49-220/LA 3132 - Shreveport

Exit 11 separates into single lane ramps at the cloverstack interchange with I-49/220 east and LA 3132 (Inner Loop Expressway) southeast. 10/03/21

I-220 West End Throwback

I-20 west at I-220/LA 3132 - 2003

Photo by Chris Patriarca (06/20/03).

I-20 west at I-220/LA 3132 - 2002

Photo by Jeff Royston (01/18/02).

Prior to six lane expansion of I-20 west of I-220/LA 3132, a lane drop occurred at Exit 11.

I-220/49 west at I-20/LA 3132 - Shreveport

Curving south ahead of Exit 1 B, I-220 south transitions to LA 3132, the Inner Loop Expressway. 05/20/14

I-20 west at I-220/LA 3132 - 2003

The distributor roadway for Exit 11 split for I-220 east and LA 3132 (Inner Loop Expressway) east. Photo by Chris Patriarca (06/20/03).

Sources:

  1. “New Shreveport I-49, I-220 interchange officially opens.” Shreveport Times (LA), October 17, 2018.
  2. I0220 over CROSS LAKE,KCS,CSR,LA 17, Caddo Parish, Louisiana. BridgeReports.com
  3. Kennerson, Anthony. “Re: Question regarding I-220 Shreveport” Online posting, Yahoo Groups – Southeast Roads and Transport, September 14, 2003.
  4. “Officials break ground on I-20/I-220 BAFB Interchange project.” Shreveport Times (LA) May 15, 2019.
  5. “Work begins on I-220 extension onto Barksdale Air Force Base.” Shreveport Times (LA) August 9, 2019.
  6. “I-20/I-220 Interchange Project Improves Access for Barksdale Air Force Base”. Construction News, March 2, 2022.

Page updated July 2, 2022.