Ruston Residents Embarrassed by Crater-Filled I-20 Overpass

Every time Teresa Skelton Jordan drives across the Ruston Interstate 20/Cooktown Road overpass she weaves and swerves to avoid all the craters on this, a state-maintained property.

“I’ve stopped getting my car aligned now since it only stays aligned for a few days,” Jordan said.

Angela Roberts Marrable, meanwhile, said the bumpy Cooktown Overpass is only one example among many of the types of roads that people in Louisiana must contend with daily.

“We are forced to purchase inspection stickers to prove our vehicles are fit for the roads, when, in fact, the roads are most definitely not fit for our vehicles,” Marrable said.

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For many, the Cooktown Road overpass is the first impression people have of Ruston as they exit I-20, and that includes incoming Louisiana Tech University students who traveled from other areas of the state.

Lincoln Parish residents have complained about the overpass for at least 10 years.

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The overpass is now in such sorry shape that locals worry — perhaps in jest — that it could one day collapse into the interstate below.

Tim Holstead, for example, criticized how the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has maintained it. He called the Ruston Cooktown overpass “a testament to the ineptitude and don’t care attitude of state DOTD repair crews.”

“It’s a safety hazard, eyesore, and embarrassment,” Holstead said.

DOTD spokeswoman Erin Buchanan told The Hayride on Friday that the overpass is slated for replacement and is tentatively scheduled to go to bid in November of this year.

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“This project includes multiple roundabouts to improve congestion, traffic flow and safety, and a new widened bridge on LA 544 over I-20. It is anticipated to cost approximately $17 million,” Buchanan said via email before she added one caveat.

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“It’s also important to keep in mind that letting dates (bid dates) do change based on project development and available funding.”

But that’s not soon enough for Chancy Larance-Caldwell.

“If I didn’t have to pee before crossing [the overpass] then I definitely have to afterwards,” Larance-Caldwell said.

Robbie F Roach, meanwhile, said that for him the overpass bears religious implications.

“I always make the sign of the cross [before I go over the overpass],” Roach said.

“And I am not even Catholic.”

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