$8 Million Scotlandville Corridor Project Signals Long-Awaited Investment in Safety, Growth
The work includes roadway reconstruction, upgraded sidewalks, new traffic signals, and railroad crossing gates designed to reduce crashes and improve pedestrian safety.
BATON ROUGE, La. — Construction is officially underway on a major infrastructure project in Scotlandville that local leaders say will improve safety, modernize transportation, and help position one of Baton Rouge’s historic Black communities for future economic growth.
State and local officials gathered this week to break ground on an $8 million improvement project along Scenic Highway between Harding Boulevard and Swan Avenue. The work includes roadway reconstruction, upgraded sidewalks, new traffic signals, and railroad crossing gates designed to reduce crashes and improve pedestrian safety.
The project is being led through a partnership between the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and the MOVEBR transportation initiative.
Community leaders said the investment addresses concerns residents have raised for years about deteriorating infrastructure and dangerous traffic conditions in the area, particularly near railroad crossings where drivers have attempted to cross tracks before trains arrived.
Metro Councilman Anthony Kenney said the installation of railroad crossing gates will help prevent accidents and create safer travel conditions for families, students, and motorists who use the corridor daily.
Officials also described the project as part of a broader effort to strengthen Scotlandville’s economic future. The area sits near Southern University, where additional campus improvements and development projects are expected in the coming years.
Kenney said infrastructure improvements, such as better roads, lighting, and pedestrian access, are essential before businesses and new investment can fully take root in the community.
For many residents, the groundbreaking represents more than a transportation upgrade. It reflects long-awaited public investment in a historically Black neighborhood that has often voiced concerns about uneven infrastructure development compared with other parts of Baton Rouge.
Construction crews have already begun work on the corridor, and city leaders say additional improvement projects are expected in the future as redevelopment efforts continue throughout Scotlandville.
