Miles SmithThe Bossier City Council recently approved a $130 million five-year capital projects plan that will serve as a road map for future construction-related improvements.
The plan was assembled by compiling master plan documents from various city departments including engineering, parks and recreation, public works, and water and sewer, outlining when work will begin and how much projects will cost.
“The purpose is pretty simple: It’s to have an outlay of what we see in our crystal ball moving forward to the next five years,” City Engineer Brian Rauschenbach said. “It’s a dynamic plan, but it gives us some map of where we want to go in the next five years.”
The five-year plan calls for $23 million in spending this year, approximately $34 million in 2026, $44.6 million in 2027, $21.2 million in 2028 and $6.5 million in 2029.
The city has pursued grant funding for many of the projects in the plan.
“Those projects generally take time to get funding and build support in Baton Rouge to bring funding up this way, as well as general street improvements and things like that,” Rauschenbach said.
The most expensive year in the plan is 2027 with $44.6 million in projects. That total includes $20.9 million for projects related to city parks, with the majority going toward work on Tinsley Park’s baseball, softball, football and soccer complexes.
Transportation projects make up $9.6 million of the 2025 capital projects plan. Plan highlights for transportation projects this year include $2 million for extending Citizens Bank Drive, $1.5 million for Brownlee Road rehabilitation and $1.5 million for various citywide street improvements.
The plan for this year also includes $7.2 million on drinking water system upgrades and $3.7 million on sewer system projects.
The biggest capital expenses in 2026 are engineering costs, about 74% of which — $10 million — are aimed at building a multipurpose indoor sports venue. The plan allocates an additional $5 million for engineering in both 2027 and 2028.
State and federal grants are needed to push the project forward, the city said, noting that no city funds have been earmarked.
Engineering expenses in the plan for 2026 also include $9.8 million for water projects and $4.3 million for sewer projects.
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