West Monroe La, (KTVE/KARD)– The city of West Monroe is launching a temporary makeover project this Sunday to test proposed infrastructure upgrades in the downtown area. The temporary demonstration will affect the corridor stretching from Cotton Street to Commerce Street for six weeks.
The demonstration project is designed to test driver and pedestrian responses to several proposed changes aimed at resolving long-standing community concerns. Upgrades being tested include expanding sidewalks, adding trees, removing traffic signals and establishing one-way traffic flow on multiple roadways, including Trenton Street.
West Monroe Mayor Staci Albritton Mitchell stated that the project aims to improve accessibility and safety for residents and business owners.
“The goal is to create a safer and more marketable, if you would, downtown for everyone who lives there, shops there, owns a business there, walks around, has anything to do in the downtown,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell highlighted specific traffic and pedestrian safety components of the redesign, noting that intersection bumpouts will lessen street crossing distances.
“It’s safer for backing out. It’s safer for pedestrians,” Mitchell said. “They’re on the bumpouts that will be at the intersections. There’s a shorter amount of street that they have exposure to on traffic.”
City officials hope the infrastructure adjustments will encourage commercial activity across a broader geographic area beyond the main corridor.
“All of the components address issues that go into it, with proven studies show make things more walkable, pedestrian-friendly, safer, that bring people to areas,” Mitchell said. “It also looks to expand the district so there’s more businesses on streets other than just Trenton. So we’ll see more businesses on Commerce, more businesses on cotton as these things as these changes are implemented and more people come downtown.”
Community members are invited to join local law enforcement on Sunday to assist with setting up the physical demonstration and get an initial look at the proposed layout. Following the setup, law enforcement officers will monitor camera feeds over the next six weeks to collect data on traffic patterns and evaluate whether congestion improves or worsens.
The city will begin accepting public feedback on Monday through forums hosted on social media platforms. An open forum featuring a Q&A session with city officials is scheduled for tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. at Kayla’s Kitchen in downtown West Monroe.
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