The North Caddo Parish corridor of I-49 will offer more than a quicker drive between Shreveport and Texarkana. It could help the area's small communities flourish economically. That's why the Town of Vivian is working hard to put the interstate within its border. Mayor Steve Taylor believes his town's population and industrial park can boom.

"The more access we have to it the better," he said.

Vivian is currently 5 miles away from the LA HWY 170 and I-49 interchange. Taylor says he and other officials are in active pursuit of the land around it. They're in contact with state legislators and have applied for a $1.5 million capital outlay grant for infrastructure.

"(We) received initial assurance of funding for the initial study portion of the water and sewer lines so we can provide infrastructure from the town to the interstate," Taylor said. Vivian will need to annex land around the interchange before that can happen. Taylor says that's a long process the town is still working on but is needed for more annexations.

"If there is someone willing to sell property or go ahead and annex it. then, we can go through the process of annexing the highway," he said.

He's talking about the entire length of HWY 170, from Vivian to 1-49. Taylor says funds have been budgeted to upgrade the highway. "Particularly for access to larger delivery vehicles and trucks that would be coming to the industrial park," he said.

The park, which is also affiliated with Oil City, has more than 900 hundred acres for business. However, Taylor hopes for more than industrial growth. He wants to attract residential development for commuters.

"This would be an attractive residential area for folks who want a little more property, live in the country and still have easy access to the metropolitan areas of Shreveport and Texarkana," Taylor said.

The Vivian industrial park is about 4 miles from the interstate and currently has just one business. Taylor says those property owners along HWY 170 will have the option to annex into Vivian.