By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – While officials in St. Charles Parish recently cut the ribbon on a newly extended levee bike path on the west bank, a similar project on the east bank of St. John the Baptist Parish remains in the design phase, but developers are hopeful movement could happen in the coming months.

Members of the Baton Rouge design firm SJB Group recently wrapped up a six-parish feasibility study for a proposed 110-mile levee path that would ultimately connect New Orleans to Baton Rouge through the River Parishes. Senior Planner Eric Poche said the plan has received tremendous support from every parish involved.

“Residents know the value of a trail like this,” Poche said. “They have the ability to increase property value, tax revenues and can open the potential for new business opportunities.”

Poche said the path would be particularly valuable to areas like St. John because of the historic aspects of River Road.

“We have plans for a series of trailhead markers to show significant historic locations where people may want to leave the path and explore further,” he said. “The tourism possibilities are endless.”

The parish has some funding in place for two phases of the path through St. John. The first phase is a 1.5-mile section, which would connect to an existing St. Charles path on the east bank and stretch to Walnut Street in LaPlace. The State Department of Transportation and Development has contributed about $480,000 toward the first phase. The parish is hoping to begin construction on that section early next year.

The second phase, which would stretch from Walnut Street all the way to the intersection of West Second and West Fifth streets, will be funded through a $940,000 grant through the Regional Planning Commission. Phase two is still in the design phase.

Meanwhile in St. Charles Parish, residents are already enjoying use of more than seven miles of paved bike and walking paths along the levee from Hahnville to Ama.

St. Charles Grants Officer Holly Fonseca said the project was federally funded under a different program. She said most of the $1.4 million to complete the path, which runs from Elm Street in Hahnville to the Davis Diversion Pond, came from the Department of Transportation and 2009 stimulus package.

Poche said a major stumbling block for the St. John path has been concerns from local industry regarding safety and security near the industrial plants along the river, but he said there is a way around it.

“A stretch of bike path on the east bank from Apple Street in Norco to New Sarpy will dip down off the top of the levee to a lower level to get around pipes and bridges that run over the levee,” Poche said. “We are working with industry leaders in St. John to find a similar solution.”

Poche said the opening of the new west bank path in St. Charles could re-energize support for the St. John path.

“There is no downside in situations like this,” Poche said. “It’s just a matter of getting it moving again.”