Quick take
- What: Base repair, milling and an overlay on Sheppard Street from East Union Street to Shreveport Road.
- Cost: About $362,000, paid from the city’s street budget for this year.
- Timing: Crews are working the stretch between Shreveport and Sibley roads first, with milling and repairs Wednesday and Thursday and overlay Friday, Mayor Nick Cox said.
- Background: The city and the state have long disagreed over who owns the road. Cox said the city decided to fix it itself.
Sheppard Street in Minden is getting fixed. The City of Minden and contractor Benton & Brown Inc. are working on the stretch from East Union Street to Shreveport Road, the Webster Parish Journal reported.
The work includes repairing the road base, milling and laying new asphalt. It costs about $362,000 and is in the city’s street budget for this year. Sheppard Street was on the list of streets the city announced for paving when its street work began Sept. 16, the Minden Press-Herald reported.
When to expect crews
Mayor Nick Cox said crews are doing the section between Shreveport and Sibley roads first. "They will mill and repair today and tomorrow," he said Wednesday. "Then they will overlay Friday. But they will work straight through the intersections and have it all done soon."
If you use Sheppard Street over the next few days, watch for crews and equipment.
Whose road is it?
There has been a long argument over whether the city or the state is responsible for the bumpy, pothole-filled street. The state built it in 1953, the Journal reported in April. Cox said at least three DOTD secretaries have told him it’s the city’s road.
"At this point, I feel like the people of Minden sincerely don’t care who pays for it, they just want it done," Cox said. "So, we decided it was time to help ourselves."
The city finished a project on Industrial Drive to La. Highway 531 last week, the Journal reported.