New Orleans is pedaling ahead with its commitment to better biking and pedestrian infrastructure. According to a recent update from the City of New Orleans Department of Public Works (DPW), talks were convened at BIKE Talks NOLA this past August with a goal to broaden trail connections across multiple parishes. Mentioned in these talks was an ambitious link-up around Lake Pontchartrain, part of the larger Louisiana Bootlace Trail Network aiming to stitch together the state's communities through trails and partnerships.
Design plans to shake up Andrew Higgins Drive, meanwhile, are moving forward, with the street's overhaul poised to pivot primarily to pedestrian use. The revamp includes narrowing traffic lanes, flaring out sidewalks, and peppering the area with aesthetic features such as brick paving and benches. The City of New Orleans officials say these changes will simultaneously slow down traffic and enhance safety—without significantly impacting traffic flow.
Over in New Orleans East, plans for betterment have hit a snag. An update pinpoints the project's updated start to Fall 2025, delayed due to a funding shortfall stemming from Section 60019 of a bill that repeals funding for the Neighborhood Access and Equity program. Currently, the project is funded solely for its preliminary design phase, and the city is on the hunt for additional funds to continue through to construction. Should the finances align, the plan includes a host of street improvements ranging from bridge repairs to the addition of green spaces, as reported by the City of New Orleans.
Good news, though, for Broad Street as pedestrian street improvements are close to wrapping up. Weather permitting, the project, heralding new road striping and activated pedestrian crosswalk signals, is expected to culminate mid-September with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. And it's not just Broad Street getting a facelift: the Morrison Road (Mayo–Bullard) street improvement project is also set to shift from plans to reality, with a budget of $23.6 million in its war chest. With a cocktail of federal and city bonds funding the endeavour, the initiative will handsomely upgrade the area's infrastructure, a sper the City of New Orleans.
