Construction crews have broken ground in Bucktown on an $11 million Jefferson Parish project to build new bike lanes and a pedestrian bridge, part of a broader push to make the area safer for people walking and cycling. Work is currently focused near Old Hammond Highway and Lake Avenue, where the first phase of the project is taking shape.
According to WDSU, the project includes a pedestrian and bike bridge over Veterans Boulevard at Lake Avenue, designed to give cyclists and walkers a safe crossing near the 17th Street Canal. A parish leader told the station the bridge will make crossing the busy boulevard safe, addressing what has long been a tricky intersection for anyone not in a car.
Jefferson Parish leaders have emphasized the project's importance for making the community more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, per the station's report. One parish leader described the effort as one step toward the parish becoming a more walkable and bikeable community overall.
From the Lake to Metairie Road
The first portion of the project will create bike lanes stretching from the lake down to Metairie Road, the same account notes. That segment is expected to be finished in 2028, while the remaining stretch of the larger project, extending further toward the river, is slated for completion in 2029.
The Bucktown work is one piece of a larger vision. Jefferson Parish's capital infrastructure program includes a broader River to Lake Bike Path project split into two segments, with the southern portion running from north of Airline Drive to River Road and featuring its own planned bicycle bridge over Airline Drive, according to Jefferson Parish Capital Projects documents.
That long-range plan traces back more than a decade. Jefferson Parish adopted its Bicycle Master Plan in November 2014 under Council Ordinance No. 24734, a framework meant to establish over 150 miles of dedicated bikeways and prioritize multi-modal investments parishwide, per Visit Jefferson Parish.
Residents Welcome the Change
Residents and bicyclists have expressed support for the improvements, WDSU reported. One resident described walking, flying kites, and spending time near the pavilion as the kinds of recreational uses the project aims to open up across more of the parish.
Another resident said safe access across the area could connect destinations and help people reach restaurants more easily on foot or by bike. A recreational cyclist told the station that riding in Jefferson Parish can be frightening at times, and said motorists need to become more accustomed to seeing bicyclists on the road. A third resident said more bike lanes would ultimately be safer for both cyclists and drivers.
Connecting to Bucktown's Existing Trails
The northern end of the project ties into the Bucktown Marsh Boardwalk, a 1,000-foot raised walkway over Lake Pontchartrain built alongside a 3.5-acre restored wetland established in May 2020, according to NOLA Places. The new north-south corridor will also intersect the parish's existing 10-mile paved recreational path along the East Bank levee, which has run from Kenner to Bucktown Marina since Jefferson Parish's Recreation Department completed it in February 2014.
The pathway runs parallel to the 17th Street Canal, a waterway originally excavated in 1872 as a stormwater drainage outlet. Per the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the canal currently drains 2,550 acres of urban land in Jefferson Parish and 7,860 acres in Orleans Parish, underscoring the drainage constraints that come with building along its banks.
Safety Rules and Regional Context
Louisiana law already requires drivers to give cyclists room on the road. Under Louisiana Revised Statute 32:76.1, known as the Colin Goodier Protection Act, motorists passing a bicyclist traveling in the same direction must leave at least three feet of clearance, with violators facing a fine of up to $250, according to the Louisiana State Legislature.
The new lanes arrive amid a mixed safety picture regionally. Statewide traffic fatalities in Louisiana fell 10% in 2023, but pedestrian and bicycle fatalities have remained a persistent concern for safety officials across Greater New Orleans given high urban crash rates, as reported by New Orleans CityBusiness. Jefferson Parish has seen its own share of tragedy on local roads, including a fatal bicycle crash on the West Bank that ended in a truck driver's sentencing this year, and pedestrian deaths in Harahan and on Jean Lafitte Boulevard.
Jefferson Parish has also moved on complementary efforts nearby. The parish's Metairie Road Smart Growth initiative is directing capital funds toward pedestrian movement, parking, and streetscape upgrades along Metairie Road between Severn Avenue and Athania Street, the parish's Council noted, marking the same corridor where the new bike lanes' first phase will terminate. In fiscal year 2023, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission also funded a YMCA program that gave bicycle safety education to 150 local elementary students, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Jefferson Parish isn't alone in expanding active-transportation infrastructure. In nearby Kenner, officials completed a combined bike and pedestrian pathway along Power Boulevard from West Esplanade Avenue to Vintage Drive last September, a project that also included a new canal pedestrian bridge, according to Design Engineering Inc. For now, the Bucktown work continues as the first visible piece of a parish-wide plan that leaders say will take until at least 2029 to fully connect the lake to the river.
