Shreveport business center dealing with infrastructure problems

SHREVEPORT, La. – There’s no shortage of infrastructure issues in Shreveport that need to be addressed.

Lakeshore Interstate Center right next to the main Post Office near Interstate 20 is a prime example. There’s several problems business owners have been dealing with for years.

“We have several 18-wheelers that come through to this business back here. We get a lot of rain coming through here, a bunch of water that actually eats up all the dirt up under this concrete right here,” John Gray, a local businessman said. “It’s caused by the city’s drainage. Its washed out about halfway to the middle of the driveway. My concern with these 18-wheelers coming through here, this giving away and falling in.

Just across the parking lot is another business experiencing issues.

“What we’ve had going on here now for two years of longer is sewage has been dumping here on the city side and it’s horrible,” said Maxie Rambin of Louisiana Building Products and Maxie’s Interior Exterior of Louisiana. “The smell naturally during the summer gets horrible and at the very worst peak of it was right after the snow storm, where it dumped toilet paper into my parking lot.”

Both of Gray and Rambin have been trying to get some help from the city for years.

City Councilwoman LeVette Fuller said the Public Works Department is aware of the situations and working to remedy the issue.

“Issues like these where it seems we have a lack of proactive maintenance paired with a delayed response to issues in need of repair are very frustrating for me as well as the constituents,” Fuller said. “Perhaps bringing attention to this specific location will bring about awareness that situations like this are occurring across the city and without a comprehensive strategy we will continue to be in triage mode.”