Work starts on bike path between Hahnville, Luling

Construction of a 6.2-mile bicycle path between Hahnville and Luling is under way and should be complete by early December, the project's engineer said.

"There is going to be an overlook and parking at the (Hale Boggs) bridge, and three upramps," said project engineer Danny Hebert, who designed the project for St. Charles Parish.

The state Department of Transportation and Development is paying the $1.4 million project cost, while the parish is paying the engineering costs.

The path will begin at Elm Street in Hahnville, just upriver from Louisiana 3060, and extend to Davis Drive in Luling.

"We've been waiting a long time for it," said Amelia Gassen of Luling.

She and her husband, Arthur Gassen Jr., now haul their bicycles over to Destrehan and ride to Audubon Park when the weather is good.

The project was delayed for several years in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as state officials focused on recovery efforts.

Corps of Engineers officials said the agency looked at whether the levee would have to be raised to its design height before allowing construction to commence, but corps spokeswoman Amanda Jones said that process did not cause any additional delays.

Parish Chief Administrative Officer Tim Vial said Hebert is designing a 1.01-mile extension of the 10-foot-wide path that will bring it to the Davis Pond Diversion. The parish also is seeking money for a 4.5-mile extension of the path to the Jefferson Parish line.

The current path on the parish's east bank, which extends from Audubon Park in New Orleans to Ormond Boulevard in Destrehan, is slated for an extension to East Harding Street in New Sarpy. Barriere Construction of Boutte submitted the apparent low bid of $266,000 on Sept. 30.

Officials in neighboring St. John the Baptist Parish also have approved a DOTD financed levee paving project for the east bank that would stretch 1.5 miles from the St. Charles Parish line near Lewis Street to Walnut Street in LaPlace....