Congress St. is getting a "streetscape" makeover

A new streetscape project on West Congress Street will change how drivers navigate the busy road.

Congress St. Streetscape is one of the Evangeline Corridor Initiative catalyst projects. Below is the list for the Downtown Freetown-Port Rico District.

LCG

The initiative started several years ago with the restriping of Congress Street between the railroad tracks and University Avenue in downtown Lafayette, reducing lanes. According to the Community Development and Planning Department at the Lafayette Consolidated Government, this was in response to a concerning number of traffic accidents.

The streetscape design will add several key features, including:

• planted medians in the middle of the road
  
• dedicated bike lanes
  
• multi-use sidewalks ranging from 5 to 10 feet wide
  
• on-street parking
  
• trees planted alongside the streets

Although pleasing to the eye, its function is to reduce the fast-passing traffic in the area further.

"The idea behind streetscapes is, first and foremost, to slow traffic down when you are driving if the road is narrower, if the lanes are narrower, and you have activity on either side, and you have trees, it atomically makes people go slower," said Cathie Gilbert, Planning Manager at CDPD.

It will also help those who live near the busy road to access it safely and encourage new developments along the street with walkable and accessible businesses.

The department is currently in the design phase of the $7 million streetscape project. To read more about the other projects, click here .