Council approves Brownlee Road change order; debate over city-paid parking-lot repairs tied to pile driving claims

The Bossier City Council introduced and advanced on first reading a change order for the Brownlee Road Rehabilitation Project that increases the contract by $212,903 to a total of $1,327,577.75.

During discussion council members asked why a change order was needed shortly after the work began. Public works staff said the increase pays to overlay a nearby segment of Wimpel Road between Old Brownlee Road and Airline Drive; the parish will contribute roughly half of the cost. “The parish wants to partner with the city using the contractor we have… to pay for 50% of that,” a staff presenter said, noting the city has funds in the project to cover its share.

Council members also questioned recent city repairs to parking lots on Benton Road. Several council members said they had not seen a council authorization for replacing parking lots at two businesses and asked whether structural engineering reports were obtained. A city official replied that inspectors documented damage allegedly caused by pile driving activity for the Walter Oak Bigby overpass carriageway; to avoid threatened litigation, the city agreed after obtaining signed releases to repair or overlay the parking lots. The official said contractor insurance and earlier testing were involved but acknowledged the exact cost was not immediately provided at the meeting.

Why it matters: The change order modifies a major street-rehabilitation contract and raises questions about how the city handled property-damage claims tied to a separate construction project, including whether repairs were funded from city dollars or contractor insurance and whether council approval was sought beforehand.

Key details - Change order: Report of Change Order No. 1 for Brownlee Road Rehabilitation Project; increase of $212,903; new total contract price $1,327,577.75; introduced on first reading and motion carried. - Wimpel Road overlay: City staff said overlay work on Wimpel Road was added to the contractor’s scope; the parish committed to pay approximately $106,000 (50% share) and the city has funds within the project to cover its portion. - Benton Road parking-lot repairs: City inspections found damage allegedly related to pile driving from an overpass project; city officials said repairs were done after releases were signed to avoid litigation and that contractor insurance and prior testing were factors; no structural-engineer report was cited in the meeting.

What was said - “There’s been some desire to overlay Wimpel Road… The parish wants to partner with the city… to pay for 50% of that,” said the city presenter explaining the change order. - A council member asked, “Would the contractor not have in his insurance covering any damages from driving the piles?” Officials said the contractor was insured and testing had been done, but they did not provide immediate cost figures.

Next steps The change order was introduced and will proceed through the ordinance process. Council members asked staff to provide additional documentation, including cost details and any structural engineering reports or insurance correspondence, though no explicit deadline was set during the meeting.