Parish section could take years to complete
By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – Slidell officials were all smiles at a groundbreaking last week that kicked off the final stretch of the Tammany Trace inside city limits, coming the final mile to Heritage Park.
However, even when Slidell does complete its final section of the Trace—a 30-mile biking and walking trail through the woods all the way to Covington—it will likely be a very long time before citizens can get on a bike and ride from Slidell to the western side of the parish.
That is because the Trace currently goes from Covington to the western side of Slidell at Camp Salmen. From there, a final stretch almost three miles long that is the responsibility of the parish must still be constructed across Hwy. 190 out near the Tractor Supply store, through the woods along the abandoned railroad tracks, and facing several potentially expensive challenges to cross three bayous on aging bridges that might need repairs.
For Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer and the other city officials who gathered for a ground breaking on Bayou Lane next to Heritage Park, the city is ready to finish their final one-mile stretch of the Trace by the fall of this year.
They will construct a 10-foot wide path down Bayou Lane, over to Carnation Street, crossing Hwy. 190 (Gause Blvd.), and then down Strawberry Street to the parish line.
That’s where things could end for a long time since the already cash-strapped parish reported they might need more than $10 million to construct the difficult areas out to Camp Salmen.
St. Tammany Parish Public Information Officer Michael Vinsaneau said there are three bridges needed for the Trace to cross waterways, including Bayou Bonfouca and Bayou Vincent. There is a bridge inspection order already in place that “started last year. Because these bridges have been out of service for an extended period of time, the condition evaluation will provide information needed regarding the repair or replacement of the structures.”
Additionally, the parish is evaluating what it will take for a crossing over Hwy. 190 where there is an average of 18,000 vehicles a day. He said they are evaluating the safety, functionality and potential project costs.
Vinsaneau said the parish won’t know the cost of the repairs or replacement of the bridges until the inspections are done, and added that coordinating the evaluation of Hwy. 190 means they don’t expect to have their final report finished until the end of this year. That is the earliest they would even be ready to make a plan to do the work.
There is a possibility of the state highway department wanting a tunnel built on Hwy. 190 and that cost alone could push the entire price tag over $10 million—money the parish isn’t exactly sitting on after a sales tax renewal failed again late last year.
Parish President Mike Cooper still said he is committed to getting the Trace done, “identifying and pursuing innovative funding sources to make the project a reality.”
The parish currently has $1.2 million set aside for the Trace from the Deep Water Horizon Funds, as well as $600,000 that Slidell has contributed to the parish portion.
Slidell did try to bring the Trace from Camp Salmen down Garden Drive to West Hall Avenue, and already laid some of the concrete on West Hall. But Cromer said he decided to scrap that location after riding a bike there himself.
“You have to ride in front of many homeowner driveways, not to mention trying to get over the bridge at the bayou,” he said. “Even riding on Garden Drive is not a good way to do it.”
The original plan for the Tammany Trace was the brainchild of former Parish President Kevin Davis, who purchased the abandoned railroad lines almost 30 years ago, starting the Trace work that has dragged on for many years.
Cromer said he gets asked about the Trace completion on a regular basis, which is why he has pushed to get it finished. However, completing Slidell’s final leg in the city is the only part he has direct control over.
The mayor said he has not had any discussion with Cooper in a long time about how or when the parish can finish the final leg.