PLAIN DEALING The Save 537 Coalition met with the press on Thursday in Plain Dealing at Holly Ridge Cattle Ranch to speak about erosion from the Red River.
Save 537 group is calling for a study on the Red River erosion. Harold “Holly” Hollenshead, of Holly Ridge Cattle Ranch, joined forces with Bill Roberstson to create this group in a last ditch effort to stop the erosion caused by the Red River.
One of the key components in this coalition is the bridge on Louisiana Highway 537, which is endangered of being destroyed by the river. Without this bridge, the commute to homes on the opposite side is complicated. Homeowners and first responders are forced to travel an extra 14 miles to get to the main road.
Bossier landowners, farmers bring more attention to potential loss of Highway 537 ktbs.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ktbs.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
From Staff Reports
BENTON – The Bossier Parish Police Jury on Wednesday declared “a threat to public safety and welfare” from erosion of land on Red River near Plain Dealing that threatens to close Louisiana Highway 537 and wash out a new million-dollar bridge.
Residents, landowners and farmers in the Wardview Bottoms area west of Plain Dealing appealed to the jury to support their efforts to secure federal action to stop erosion in a deep curve of the river near the highway.
District 4 Juror John Ed Jorden of Benton, representing the Save 537 Coalition, persuaded the jury to adopt a resolution declaring the need for action, and asked for $25,000 to support an engineering analysis to identify possible solutions.
But a group of Bossier Parish residents have mounted a campaign to stop it in its tracks.Â
The Save 537 Coalition, made up of residents, landowners and farmers in the Wardview Bottoms area west of Plain Dealing, made a pitch to the Bossier Parish Police Jury Wednesday for support and to secure funding to stop erosion in a deep curve of the Red River near state Highway 537.Â
Google Earth view of the big bend in the Red River at Wardview Bottoms that shows the proximity of the main channel to Highway 537 and the bridge over Ditch No. 1.
District 4 Juror John Ed Jorden of Benton, representing the Save 537 Coalition, persuaded the jury to adopt a resolution declaring the need for action, and asked for $25,000 to support an engineering analysis to identify possible solutions.