BREC is set to begin working on a 6-mile long, multiuse bike and pedestrian trail connecting downtown to north Baton Rouge.
The sports recreation agency announced today that it received a $3.7 million federal grant that will help pay for construction of the project. The trail is a component of the Capital Area Pathways Project, which BREC and several community groups developed to create a network of trails in East Baton Rouge.
“This is a real game-changer and eventually, this trail will make it possible for residents to go between Southern University and LSU on their bicycles or on foot as one section will connect to the Downtown Greenway and the other will be extended to the Southern University Campus,” BREC Superintendent Carolyn McKnight says in a prepared statement.
The downtown to north Baton Rouge trail will be developed in two phases. The first phase will begin at the Memorial Stadium Sports Complex and end at the Scotlandville Parkway, connecting recreational facilities, schools, churches, and businesses.
Phase 2 will link connections further into downtown with the Downtown Greenway. BREC anticipates the entire project will cost more than $4.1 million, with the federal government covering 80% of the cost and BREC picking up the remaining 20%.
Other Capital Area Pathways Projects include the Farr Park trail, the Greenwood Community Park Trail, the Health Loop/Ward’s Creek Trail from The Mall of Louisiana to The Grove, the Morning Glen to Tuscany Villas Trail, and the Perkins/Pennington Trail.
The grant was awarded through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Grant Program administered by U.S. Department of Transportation and Development. The grant program supports surface transportation projects that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.
