‘A long strange trip’: Project for a revitalized Perkins Road underpass closer to reality

Business owners and residents near the Perkins Road overpass still await construction of an anticipated “linear park” that would provide a protected path for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as designated community spaces in the area between Reymond Avenue and Christian Street.

The project is moving forward now that various permits, like one with Kansas City Southern for a railroad crossing, have been approved. The city hopes to accommodate a request from business owners that construction begin in summer 2025.

“It’s been a long strange trip, as Grateful Dead says,” Varsity Sports owner and underpass project advocate Jenni Peters said.

The idea for a revitalized underpass, complete with landscaping, lighting and public art, came about four years ago when local business owners, including Peters, commissioned plans and a land survey that would show how to improve the stretch beneath the overpass, as reported by 225 Magazine.

The plans called for a multiuse public path in the Perkins Road underpass space that would connect Reymond Avenue and Christian Street, helping clean up the area and make it more walkable. The MOVEBR transportation initiative will fund the project, and the Baton Rouge Metro Council allocated $2.7 million, Peters said.

The walkway through the underpass is desperately needed, she said. Peters said she has seen multiple bicyclists and runners try to cross using the overpass but fall and injure themselves on the narrow sidewalk, she said.

“The overpass creates a real physical and social barrier,” Peters said.

Var’s Pizza co-owner Edwin Edwards agreed that a path would benefit businesses and residents. Anything that makes it easier for pedestrians to cross is “a plus for our area,” he said.

Jordan Piazza, owner of The Colonel’s Club on Perkins Road, added that the project will better connect the district to neighborhoods, businesses, LSU and downtown.

“We are appreciative to everyone involved who see the full potential of this area,” he said in an email to The Advocate.

Questions remain 

The city is considering several questions before breaking ground, East Baton Rouge Director of Transportation and Drainage Fred Raiford said, including how to maintain parking safety and access to the interstate, as well as how to ensure the area has adequate drainage.

The timeline of the project is also dependent on Kansas City Southern starting work on the railroad crossing, which the company recently approved.

“All the parts and pieces are there,” Raiford said. “We’re just trying to put them all together, when it’s the right time, so we can minimize that impact on the community.”

Once a start date is determined, construction of the path will take approximately six months, he said.

Peters said she and the other business owners are optimistic that the project will finally come to fruition.

“When the first shovel goes into the ground is when I’ll feel like our mission is complete,” she said.