The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Mossville Way ribbon cutting Tuesday celebrated more than the completion of a project in the works for almost five years. The new route conveniently connects drivers to work and shopping. It pays homage to a community and two community leaders. It demonstrates the investment of local industry. And, a project engineer shared one of the reasons the project took longer than expected – and it wasn’t just the pandemic, hurricanes, flooding and freeze.

“The completion of Mossville Way creates a new connection from areas north of Westlake and Sulphur all the way to Interstate 10,” said District 14 Police Juror Randy Burleigh. “This will allow better daily traffic flow for workers at numerous local industries and provide residents with another northbound option in hurricane evacuations.”

The three-mile road connects LA 379 to LA 108 in Sulphur/Carlyss, allowing a continuous route from Cities Service Highway to Houston River Road.

More than a more convenient route, Mossville Way assures the names of two great families will continue to be honored, and the Mossville community will never be forgotten. The project had been called the “Coach Williams Drive Extension Project” during the early development stages.

Coach LaSalle Williams lived most of his life in Mossville. He worked 42 years in education, 20 years as a no-nonsense, get-with-it winning coach, according to Burleigh, and 22 years as a principal. Currently, this 92-year-old longtime community leader is working at the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. His wife of 70 years, Bettie, was also a Coach and PE teacher.

The ribbon cutting took place on what is now called J. Clophus Rd, which runs south from E. Houston River to the E. Burton roundabout. Johnny Clophus, Sr. is the Bishop of Miracle Deliverance Holiness Church at 3940 East Burton and the author of “Don’t Die Like a Fool: A Life Changing Sermon.” Clophus and his wife Georgia built the first house on what is now  J. Clophus Road in 1961.

“It was just a dirt road then,” Clophus said. The Clophus children, Thomas, Herbert, and Eugene and his wife, Vanessa, attended the ceremony.

Mossville is the name of the community founded by a slave, and settled by nine Black families over 200 years ago. In 2015, when Sasol began to expand its operation, it offered what one then-Mossville resident described as premium buyouts for property, not force outs. A few residents opted to stay, but most relocated to neighboring communities. Hal McMillin was District 14 Police Juror when Sasol’s expansion meant Evergreen Road would be closed, and was instrumental in the negotiation with Sasol for funding.

Sasol gave more than  half of the cost of the $18 million project. Sasol Manager Eric Walker thanked the parish, and said Mossville Way is an example of what can happen when government, industry and the community work in concert. “This will do more than improve transportation, it will improve quality of life,” he said.

Work on the project began in September 2018. The first phase of the project – the roundabout at Old Spanish Trail – was completed in 2020. The second phase of the project – the section between Old Spanish Trail and Wallace Road – was completed in 2022. The remainder of the roadway, including the East Houston River Road intersection, was completed in 2023.

Calcasieu Parish Engineer Cliff Vanicor said that in addition to the pandemic, hurricanes and ice storm, the project faced the challenge of crossing 12 pipelines, the Sabine River Diversion Canal and the Southern Gulf Railroad. Parts of the extension were constructed in low-lying areas, adding a drainage component to the road construction.

  Contractor was H.D. Truck and Tractor, LLC. Engineering consultants were C.H. Fenstermaker & Associates.