Taking the gamble out of walking

Two small sidewalk projects along River Road aim to stitch together key gaps—so residents and visitors can walk more easily between casinos, apartments, hotels and the river.

Why it matters: Better sidewalks and paths are the kind of unglamorous work that change how people use downtown—especially residents who want to walk, not drive, around the city center. 

The details: Costing $422,000, parish government is upgrading and extending wide sidewalks this year in two spots:

• By The Queen Casino: A sidewalk on River Road will continue past Queen Casino, running by government offices and connecting to apartments north of the casino.
• By the riverfront parking lots: Paths will cut through roughly two blocks of riverfront empty lots, creating a clearer walking connection from the Hilton area toward the IBM building.

Accessibility: Both projects will be ADA-compliant, adding to other works that have made it less risky to cross streets and use sidewalks downtown.