Central, Louisiana

CENTRAL , LOUI S I ANA Since people have to drive through the city to get to Livingston Parish, widening the roads has become a priority. Barrow reports, “A lot of our major roadways are the same two- lane highways which have been around for decades, so they aren’t very pedestrian or cyclist friendly. In addition to widening the highways, we are installing sidewalks and making some of the outside lanes wider for bicycle lanes. That’s a priority on all new road construction. Several years ago, we installed miles of new sidewalk around the schools and surrounding neighborhoods. Now it’s required to have sidewalks in residential neighborhoods. We’re trying to address these road issues by having a shoulder or dedicated bike lanes, as well as including sidewalks on future projects.” Drainage is another major concern for the city. Central lies between two rivers – the Comite River on the western side and the Amite River on the eastern side, with both converging at the bottom of the city. In August 2016, South Louisiana was devasted by catastrophic floods, with over 24 inches of rain falling in two days. This caused a near tidal wave to overflow the rivers. Half of the city’s homes were flooded. “As a result, we have stepped up our game on the maintenance of the ditches and canals,” says Barrow. “Two of our major channels are now part of a $70-million federal project that the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is undertaking because of the flooding. We’re also addressing the drainage issues in our codes for new developments. We can’t do anything about the houses that are built now, but we can control our future developments and we have tightened our regulations on that.” Improvements to the community haven’t been restricted solely to infrastructure, but also involve outdoor spaces, parks, and conservation areas. These upgrades have greatly increased the quality of life for all residents and have been possible through the city’s valuable partnership with The Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC). Over 14485 Greenwell Springs Rd. Greenwell Springs, LA 70739 225-261-1095 OAK POINT FRESH MARKET NOW OFFERS Shop Our Fresh Meats, Delicious Deli and Bakery, Fantastic Wine and Liquor Selection and the Best Produce in Central! Make Memories with Oak Point’s Beautiful Floral Items! LOCALLY OWNED! The Sumich Family GREAT Customer Service ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING DIGITAL COUPONS Curbside Pickup and Delivery Through