By Bonnie Culverhouse

Bids will be opened next week (Tuesday) for replacement of a section of Industrial Drive in Minden.

Minden Mayor Nick Cox said the pre-bid meeting went well, and “We have four strong contenders to do the work.”

Cox said he hopes the bids will come in around $1,250,000.

“We received $1 million in 2023/2024 and then $250,000 last year from the state to be used for this project,” he said.

April 6, the project will go before the council for construction company approval, and the mayor said he hopes work will begin May 1.

Waggoner Engineering has planned construction of the area that goes from (but does not include) the intersection of La. Hwy. 531 to just past Love’s Travel Stop where the bulk of road damage is from tractor/trailer rigs.

“It (Industrial Drive) will be closed in sections, but we are trying our best to always keep a lane open where Love’s can still be accessed at all times,” Cox said. The base of the new portion of road will be concrete. “It should last all our lifetimes.”

Street Department Director Terry Combs said it is around 1,500 feet of road, and the project should be complete in about three months – weather permitting.

“When it’s done, it will be a very good thing for Love’s and for us,” Combs said. “That concrete will accommodate all the high-volume traffic and trucks.”

(Editor’s note: Minden City Council may consider taking on Sheppard Street, even though it was built by the State of Louisiana. Story next week.)