Wanted: pedalers for Mandeville bike path

Mandeville is bike heaven. City officials have recently approved a $1 million improvement project that will either repair or add new sidewalks to several miles of streets within city limits.

One of the larger sections of town to be paved for bicyclists or walkers include most of Lafitte Street from Lakeshore Drive north to U.S. Highway 190, a stretch close to a mile long. Other improvements and additions include adding sidewalks and culverts to long expanses on Villere Street and Park Avenue.

All of the improvements and additions are part of the city’s Master Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan that began nearly 10 years ago, Mayor Eddie Price said, as a venture giving residents an alternate means of transportation throughout the city.

Every year, Price said the city budgets what it can to upgrade and install new walkways around the city. From the Lakefront to the Tammany Trace to the Trailhead, Price said eventually all of the paths will connect. The trace tunnel that runs under U.S. 190 was constructed thanks to the bicycle plan, Price said.

Most of the projects are funded by the city and in total, Price estimates they’ve spent more than $4 million on sidewalks. He expects every street listed in the plan to be paved with walkways within several years, possibly by the end of his current term as mayor.

This year’s improvements have already been approved by the City Council. It will now go out to bid and will likely get underway within the next month.