Government Street is 'officially' finished... enough
After more than 20 years of planning, complaining and more complaining, the Government Street project is “officially” done.
RELATED: Government Street redevelopment: ‘It was never about the bike lanes’
The Government Street project was exceptionally complicated because, although located in the heart of the city, it is a state road. Government Street is also known as Louisiana State Highway 73. And for this reason, the work on the road has been completed, until now, by the Louisiana Department of Transportation.
CLICK HERE FOR PROJECT DOCUMENTS
On Saturday, October 23, DOTD is officially handing over the “completed” project to the city/parish. The moment will be commemorated with a bike ride! Wahoo!
The ride will start at 9:30 a.m. at the Old Governor’s Mansion and will end at the Electric Depot on Government Street. Apparently the event has been sparsely promoted, so go spread the word!
YEAH BIKE!
My bestie is back in town for a visit, so you know we’ve been out on some bike rides. In fact, we recorded one of them for you!
This week’s episode is coming to you straight from the saddle. We went for an extended bike ride from my house to his and along the way we talked about what cars can do to be kinder to bicyclists, what bicyclists should know about wearing helmets, and a few other random things along the way.
Get ready, this episode has a lot less editing, but it’s not completely raw. I did cut it down to half the length of the original recording. You’re welcome.
Speaking of group rides, we had a lovely one on Monday! We really enjoyed the cooler weather. In fact, my nose was cold by the end of the ride. But it was a welcomed change after months of sweat and so much rain.
The last couple weeks I have not had a story to tell on the rides and that’s not going to change any time soon. That’s because the time is starting to change and it’s getting darker earlier. We will, however, start making visits to local businesses during our rides. That will continue until Spring when we get more daylight.
WHAT’S NEXT?!
Get your costume ready because we’re going to have a HALLOWEEN RIDE! On Monday, October 25, we’ll start our ride at the normal time, normal place, but then we’ll head over to Leola’s Cafe to have a private party on the patio! I booked a band and everything! It’s going to be incredible!
The theme is Downtown East, so you have a lot of possibilities. You can come representing a time period, a person from the stories, a building, a place, a concept, or an animal. Best outfit will win a prize!
Bring some goodies for the party. It’s a cash bar, so bring a little money or a credit card.
As for Halloween Day, the FABULOUS Mark Martin will be hosting his annual Velo Muertos ride. It will begin at the Capitol Park Museum at 9:30 a.m.
Speaking of the Capitol Park Museum, I have TWO bonus rides happening there.
Saturday, November 6 will be the final Green Book Bike Tour. It will start at 9:00 a.m. It’s also getting to be the last chance for you to go to the Green Book exhibit at the museum. It closes on November 14.
You can get a chance to see the exhibit for free on Thursday, November 11 if you attend the Walls Project Veterans Day Bike Ride. The museum will be open from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m.
This is my first event for the organization and I’d really love to see you there. It will start at 10 a.m. and we will be going for a 6-mile roundtrip bike ride.
We will have ride support from the Baton Rouge Police Department, and it is open to riders of all ages. Geaux Ride will have rental bikes available for those of you who either don’t have a bike or don’t want to lug one downtown.
After the ride, we will have some light refreshments.
SO MUCH FUN STUFF! And that’s not even half of it! Go check out the calendar of events for more information.
To look at the full calendar of events, CLICK HERE!