Phase one of University Lakes restoration project near completion, public have mixed feelings about construction

Sydney Simone
·2 min read

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A multi-year project to fix up lakes across metro Baton Rouge is getting mixed feedback from the public.

“This is arguably the greatest quality of life asset we have in the capital area,” said Mark Goodson, manager for the University Lakes restoration project.

The University Lakes restoration project has been in the works since 2022 to make six lakes across the area healthy again.

“The lakes need it. I mean, they’re, they’re in really bad shape. The average depth of the lakes before we started was two and a half feet,” said Goodson.

Dredging, which means removing material from the bottom of the lake, is part of the first phase and Goodson says it’s near completion.

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“A lot of the material that’s grown up through the bottom of the lake stems from the drought when the lake bottom was exposed last summer,” said Goodson.

Goodson says some of the material pulled from the water will be used to create new shorelines for people to enjoy and to reduce flood risks.

“Those shorelines are going to be landscaped with native material that helps slow down and filter runoff before it gets into the lakes to help improve the water quality and the habitat quality,” said Goodson.

Many people use Milford Wampold Memorial Park for walking, jogging and bike riding. This is an area where crews are working. People living nearby say they’re ready for that work to finish.

“It’s hopeful and it’s nice to see that they are doing all these things,” said Madeline Gagneaux, park visitor.

As construction picks up around the LSU Lakes, a popular spot for students and the Baton Rouge community, it’s causing more congestion in neighborhoods. Some say it’s become an inconvenience. People living nearby say they’re ready for that work to finish.

“Hopefully, once they’ve completed the process, everything comes out well. But as of right now, it’s not an enjoyable sight walking around,” said Larry Jackson, park visitor.

Goodson says it’s temporary and for the better.

“We appreciate everybody’s patience. We understand that it’s not always convenient with all the construction,” said Goodson.

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Phase one, dredging, for Lake Erie and City Lake Park, is expected to be completed by July.

In the meantime, Goodson says people can also expect to see some improvements to May Street.

“Cutting a new channel under May Street to connect, better connect the two largest lakes,” said Goodson.

Goodson says there’s $70 million allocated for phases one and two. Some of the funding comes from the City of Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, BREC and Louisiana State University

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