Tucked under the Perkins Road overpass in Baton Rouge is a string of highly rated local favorite restaurants. That is, if customers can find them through the construction site.
The eventual urban greenspace may be difficult to envision at this stage, but local business leaders who have advocated for this project for more than six years believe the heavy machinery and temporary chain-link fences are worth the short-term hurdles. They believe public spaces can help build a better community.
The hard hats and heavy machinery are the start of the Perkins Road Overpass Project, a $2.9 million investment turning a once muddy, gravel-filled space into landscaped green spaces featuring paved sidewalks, bicycle paths, lighting and metered parking. It broke ground on July 13 to create a multi-use linear park that improves connectivity and encourages community building.
The re-envisioned space’s urban trail will not only provide an area to walk and visit with friends and neighbors, it will also create pedestrian paths between the overpass area and the Garden District…