Highway 1 & Highway 169 in Caddo Parish nearing completion

Construction on Highway 1 is expected to be completed in December. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (D.O.T.D.) received $23 million of redistributed federal funding to widen the 6.5 mile stretch in Caddo Parish. D.O.T.D Public Information Officer, Susan Stafford says that the total cost of construction came $7.5 million under budget And although construction is on schedule, Specialty Trackhoe and Dozer Service Incorporated, Steve Nichols has been given an additional thirty days if needed.
 “Our dead-line is December 28. We should be through no later than January. If we go beyond that, we’ll be responsible for liquidated damages”
 Crews began working on the highway nearly eighteen months ago. The four-lane stretch starts at Dixie-Blanchard Road and runs through Seven Hills on North Highway 1.
“This project will help to increase safety, ease congestion and increase capacity,” Stafford said.
Stafford reports that the new four-lane road will increase capacity by roughly 33%. The wider highway will be able to handle roughly 6,000 more vehicles per day.
“The old highway had some unsafe vertical curves and so it was unsafe to pass with all the vertical curves,” Nichols said.
Motorists will also be affected by the new turnoff at the intersection of Highway 1 and 169. Nichols said the new Mooringsport junction will open soon.
D.O.T.D Engineer Gregg Wall said the realignment of the Highway 1 and 169 intersection is designed to allow motorists gain greater visibility and breaking distance.