BENTON, La. — Bossier Parish officials have secured a $25 million federal transportation grant to advance the long-planned East-West Corridor, a roadway project designed to improve mobility and accommodate continued growth in the parish.
The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation for the Bossier Parish East-West Corridor project. The federal award was announced in July and formally highlighted by parish officials Thursday at the Bossier Parish Courthouse.
The proposed roadway, also known as the Winfield Road Extension, would connect Winfield Road on the east with Benton Road on the west. Parish officials say the project is intended to provide another east-west transportation route, relieve congestion and improve regional connectivity.
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Glenn Ledet said the federal grant is part of an overall investment of more than $54 million in the corridor.
“This is a major investment in this region,” Ledet said. “This $25 million is really part of this entire corridor, which is over $54 million investment.”
The project has been under development for more than two decades. Planning dates to the early 2000s, when Bossier Parish began examining a transportation corridor north of Interstate 220 to connect growing areas of the parish.
Environmental and engineering work followed. Previous project documents describe an approximately eight-mile, two-lane roadway with right of way preserved for future widening as traffic demand increases.
Bossier Parish also included $17.5 million for East-West Corridor design, surveys and right-of-way acquisition in its 2026 budget, with much of that amount expected to come from federal funding. Default
Police Jury President Tom Salzer said the federal award represents an investment in transportation infrastructure as the parish continues to grow.
“This $25 million grant is more than just funding,” Salzer said. “It’s a direct investment in the daily lives of the people that we serve.”
“We’ve seen the traffic. We’ve heard the concerns, and we know what better roads can mean for our families and our businesses across our parish,” Salzer said.
Police Jury Vice President Juliana Parks said the corridor would provide residents with another transportation option through her district.
“This East-West Corridor is gonna provide a safe and convenient route to get you where you want to go,” Parks said.
Ledet said DOTD will work with Bossier Parish on engineering, transportation planning and project delivery.
“This is the beginning of that, this East-West Corridor, to make critical mobility improvements in the region, allow congestion relief on our existing roadways, but also provide safety improvements,” Ledet said.
Several steps remain before construction can begin, including engineering and design work, environmental approvals, right-of-way acquisition and construction planning.
Parish officials said project development, construction and completion are expected to occur over approximately three to five years, depending on approvals, funding and other project requirements.
The Police Jury had previously authorized work associated with a federal BUILD grant application for the corridor. Parish meeting records show officials continued pursuing engineering, right-of-way and federal funding work before the award.
The $25 million grant gives the parish a major new funding source as it moves the East-West Corridor from long-range planning toward construction.
Randy Brown contributed to this article.