(The Center Square) – The proposed route for a privately funded road and tollway over the Red River that would run through the Esplanade Subdivision in Shreveport drew concern from City Councilman Grayson Boucher, who expressed interest in allowing homeowners an opportunity to voice an opinion.
Earlier this month, the City Council introduced an ordinance granting right-of-way access to a city-owned tract of land with Red River Expressway for the construction of a “roadway facility,” described in the document as a “carriageway-boulevard” needed to move the developer’s project forward.
The council didn’t grant the right of way but is expected to consider that measure at its May 26 meeting.
If approved, it’s unclear if the Metropolitan Planning Commission will have jurisdiction over plat revisions in Esplanade, described as “an exclusive, gated community known for high-end custom-built homes.”
Alabama-based Red River Expressway plans to construct an eight-mile road and bridge tollway over the Red River from Flournoy Lucas in Caddo Parish to Highway 71 in Bossier Parish, according to city documents.
The project is estimated to cost about $115 million.
A cooperative endeavor agreement states that Northwest Louisiana Finance Authority would own the roadway and bridge project, and that Red River Express would lease and manage it. The document also says the NWLA intends to fund part of the project by applying for a Rural Development Community Facilities Loan through the Department of Agriculture.
The developer has stated that the bridge portion is subject to a toll but the roadways on both sides of the river would be open to public use.
The preferred route will require the company to resolve the issue of using residential lots in Esplanade to construct its road southeast from Highway 3132, where it ends at Flournoy Lucas. Beyond the Esplanade, it would traverse property owned by the Port of Caddo-Bossier, which indicated support in previous public documents, before reaching the Red River.
“Those lots are going to have to be replatted,” Boucher said, “and I need to know so I can tell the people that are asking: Does that come to you for an administrative re-plat, or do they get a say?”
Stephen Jean, the Metropolitan Planning Commission’s interim executive director, said that building a roadway on a residential lot is authorized.
“It’s done all the time,” Jean said, while adding an important distinction.
“If it is a dedication, that’s a different question,” he said. “That’s something that ends up coming back to you guys as part of a plat that gets signed by a mayor. I would think that that would be a public process.”
Servitude for public use means the owner grants a legal right allowing the public to use it as a roadway or access corridor, whereas “dedication” means formally giving the land to a government entity, which would require government approval through a public process.
Boucher asked if there are plans for the city or parish to accept the road.
“This exact question has not been in front of me, showing me exactly what was being planned,” Jean said.
At a city council meeting in February 2023, the Shreveport Times reported that William Bradford, a representative of Tim James, president of Red River Express, said the company has a 15-year agreement to maintain the roadways at no expense to the cities or parishes. After 15 years, they will become public roadways and the parishes will be expected to maintain them.
It’s unclear if that arrangement remains in effect.
“There are seven lots up against the bayou that were originally platted for residential,” Boucher said. “When people bought their lots, they anticipated those being residential lots, not a road, so where do we go with this?”
Boucher is listed as a lot owner within the subdivision at the city’s GIS database. Red River Expressway is also listed as an owner of a large tract that appears to be directly in the path of the proposed roadway, according to a map provided to The Center Square.
According to the organization’s state audit, NWLA is a “local public trust authorized under Louisiana law” created to carry out economic development and public financing functions.
“Because the city government appoints the governing board, the authority was determined to be a component unit of the city of Shreveport,” the audit says.
