Monroe citizens examine walkable routes near S. 2nd St. for improvement master plan

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - The City of Monroe joined citizens and community leaders Tuesday morning to work on a plan to improve walkable areas in south Monroe.

City officials and workshop attendees met at Jackson Street Church of Christ before loading on a Monroe Transit bus to take a tour of streets around South 2nd Street. Once they exited the bus at each stop, they took observation notes of any conditions and safety concerns about the walkable routes and discussed those challenges during a workshop.

It’s part of the ‘South Second Street Corridor Improvements’ master plan. Mayor Friday Ellis and Smart Growth America, a national coalition that advocates for livable neighborhoods in cities and towns, led the walk audit.

“We’re seeing a lot of issues regarding access - accessibility on the streets here in Monroe. We’re trying to understand and get people to imagine what it’s like not driving around in this city. You know, where are the sidewalks, where aren’t the sidewalks, curve ramps, how fast the vehicles are going,” said Dustin Robertson, a policy manager for Smart Growth America.

A Monroe citizen, Jeanette Modicue said, “Many of our people don’t have safe - they don’t have cars to ride on. And some of them don’t have the money to pay to get on the bus, so they ought to be able to walk and get where they need to get without being hurt or harmed.”

The goal of this plan is to improve the connectivity to downtown South 2nd Street. Ellis said the city council passed $3 million in matching funds for a federal grant - RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity); equaling up to nearly $26 million for this improvement plan. According to city officials, the coalition that led the walk audit is scheduled to present findings at the Nov. 14, 2023 city council meeting.

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