If the Louisiana Department of Transportation had been in charge of the great Western Expansion in our history, the wilderness today would start about a mile west of Cleveland, Ohio. The only way to cross the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers today would still be by ferry.
When we moved to Vernon Parish a quarter of a century ago they were working on four-laning Highway 171 from Leesville to Ancoco, a distance of about eight miles. I commented then that the improvement would be nice and asked when it would be finished. A Leesville merchant said he didn’t know but that they had been working on it for a year. And by the time it was completed it was another year.
Today, the 171 four-lane project 20 some years later has progressed about 30 miles, to Many. At that pace the 171 project will get to Shreveport in time for the first Independence Bowl game of the 22nd Century.
Route 468 is a critical four-mile stretch between downtown Leesville and Highway 28 going to Alexandria. The entire 468 route has been closed for nigh on two years now to replace a bridge just beyond the Leesville City Limits. The work area is about 1000 yards, at most. Not only is it the most direct route to North Fort Polk, but a church with a large congregation, and a prison, are located on the route along with a number of residences, some of them real nice homes.
Now, a family living in one of those homes located a half mile beyond the city limits must drive nearly 10 miles to get between their abode and Leesville. This extended hardship was a topic of discussion at a recent Police Jury meeting in which the juror from that district not only mentioned the long period to replace one bridge but reported that no one had been working at the site for two weeks. Last Monday I walked down to the site and sure enough, there was no one working.
There was one truck off to the side with its motor idling but no workers were anywhere in sight. I stood there for more than a normal 10-minute break period but saw no living person.
A little over a year ago Marie finished 33 weekday trips to Alexandria for radiation treatments. We saw the workers on the four-laning of Highway 28 between Leesville and Alexandria. Not only is this an area heavily traveled by civilians, it is a major crucial route for the military, as every light infantry unit comes over a period of time for intensive training. That also includes other units and  other branches of our armed forces and occasionally even foreign troops of friendly allies.
Just recently I drove to Alexandria and saw the workers still leveling the dirt on the same eight miles. Oh, I did see some black top on a small area and the work area had been cleared and some dirt work extended to the Parish line. Now this project naturally takes some time since a number of small bridges have to be built. But a year in an area where the work could be done during most of the four seasons should be more than ample time to get 12 miles of road built.
LADOT is not the main work force on these projects. They are contracted out to private firms. But workers for these firms have something that construction workers in other parts of the nation do not. They seem to have longevity and maybe will even be able to take retirement on such a job.
But here’s an example of DOT’s snail pace for its own projects. For months they were busy replacing 15 stoplights along 171. That job took months and often there were no workers on the job. As of early this past week they were still not synchronized.
Maybe a manager I once played ball for could get LADOT jobs going a bit faster. I was on third when the batter hit a ball to right center. I figured I could easily score after the catch so I was in no hurry. I didn’t figure the outfielder’s strong arm and the possibility of a perfect throw. I was out and when I got to the dugout the skipper said, “That little joy jog just cost you 10 bucks.” Maybe setting a few deadlines and assessing a few fines could get these jobs done in a reasonable time.
Trivia Time: How  long did it take to build the 1,5232-mile ALCAN Highway? Answer to last question: The popular New York Morning Telegraph columnist buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx is Bat Masterson...yeah... the famous Western marshal who gave up six guns and the west for a typewriter and the Big Apple. He was also a personal friend of President Theodore Roosevelt and was a visitor to the White House on several occasions.
Contact George Frasher at
337-238-3433,
E-mail frasher@cebridge.net..