manchacgreenway
by Maria Goddard
Today, the Manchac Greenway attracts
hundreds of people each year, but there was a time
when about 400 tons of trash littered the area.
The Greenway is a recreational wetland area
that borders I-55 highway. Many use it for fishing,
biking, running, hiking, canoeing, kayaking and
other activities year-round. It begins north of
LaPlace and ends south of Ponchatoula.
“Highway 51 was lined with refrigerators,” said
Ben Taylor, a Hammond contributor and park
ranger at Camp Salmen. “The Army, National
Guard and Department of Transportation did a
massive cleanup of 400 tons of debris in the early
‘90s.”
In 1979, Highway 51 was abandoned and it
was combined with I-55. As a result, people began
dumping their trash on it. This included furniture,
and even pets.
“The state legislature called upon the Lake
Maurepas Society, a local environmental group, to
create a new state park,” said Taylor. “We wanted to
do a parkway, a linear park based on road, and the
only thing we thought of was to turn the highway
into a park.”
However, the legislature had a square-shaped
park in mind. In spite of this, the society wanted to
build an ADA-approved fishing pier.
Frank Neelis, a Manchac Greenway Steering
Committee member, spearheaded the effort. The
movement gained momentum through support
from people in St. John, Southeastern Louisiana
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University, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife
and Fisheries, Hammond and Ponchatoula mayors,
senators, state representatives and parish presidents.
“This is an area that has a lot of history,” said
Neelis. “We don’t want to chance the ambience of
the place, but enhance it without damaging it.”
According to Neelis, after the Civil War, the
area was populated with cypress trees. Lumber
companies and others came to take resources from
the abandoned land. As a result, 90 percent of the
trees were cut down and sent to different parts of
the world. Since then, the prevailing focus has been
to restore the swamp to its original glory.
“By improving the vegetation, that’s another
draw,” said Neelis. “This brings in people from all
over the state and country. It would provide another
venue to people driving through. They can get off
and be at the ground level in the swamp.”
Tourists enjoy lodging near the greenway, and
eating at restaurants like the iconic Middendorf ’s.
Not only is it widely known for its southern food,
but its resiliency. Despite hurricane after hurricane,
it keeps coming back strong.
One project that is gaining strength is the bike
path, formed from the old Highway 51. According
to Neelis, there is very little traffic on this highway,
and people have been cycling on it for years. The
Manchac Greenway Committee began the process
of officially authorizing it and mapping it from
LaPlace to Hammond.
Taylor noted the creation of the bike path
has been a dream. The first green bike sign was
installed a month ago south of Ponchatoula, and
it is his hope that three or four more will line the
route.
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