One Of Bossier’s Busiest I-20 On Ramps Is Open Again

Late yesterday morning, it was if the Gates of Heaven had re-opened and the angels began to sing!

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We received official word from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development via their Facebook page that the I-220 westbound on-ramp from I-20 eastbound in Bossier Parish is now back open to traffic following repairs to the bridge.

These repairs were related to the ongoing I-20/I-220 Barksdale Air Force Base interchange project.

Those who formerly used this ramp to access heavily populated subdivisions like Stockwell, Carriage Oaks and Dogwood, might not even realize just how long the ramp has been closed.

The DOTD put a halt to its usage on July 18 and then again notified us in September that it would be inaccessible until early October barring inclement weather.

Thank the Good Lord we've been in the middle of a drought, so weather never became an issue. Anyone who forgot to exit I-20 East at Industrial Drive in Bossier to detour to Hwy 80 East would quickly learn of their costly mental lapse as they would have to travel all the way to the Haughton/Fillmore exit to get back over to Hwy 80 and backtrack.

Though the ramp has been re-opened, the work continues on the project and the DOTD made an announcement that there will be a couple nights next week when portions of the area will be closed for some finishing work:

• Tuesday, October 25, 2022 from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am: I-220 eastbound to I-20 eastbound flyover ramp - Closure is necessary for the purposes of removing the painting platforms from the bridge.

• Wednesday, October 26, 2022 from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am: I-20 westbound to I-220 westbound off-ramp – Closure is necessary to install an impact attenuator at the end of the concrete barrier.

Hopefully we are very close to the official opening of the exchange as the DOTD announced in an earlier report  that the expected end date for the project that began in April 2019 is sometime this Fall.

Fingers crossed and safe travels!!!