Some 34 years ago, in 1992, the abandoned railroad track from Covington to Slidell was acquired by St. Tammany Parish for a bike trail project under the new "Rails to Trails" federal program.
That decision led to the development of Tammany Trace, a premiere biking trail that has since been expanded, improved, and linked to key parish locations in Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Lacombe, and Slidell. There is even a connection to Pelican Park recreational facilities in Mandeville and the Camp Salmen Nature Park in Slidell.
The following video showcases the tremendous effort made by local officials as they contacted and coordinated with dozens of federal, state and parish agencies as well as a number of private organizations and citizens groups to make it all possible. The document signing took place at the northern end of the Covington train depot.
A key event in the acquisition process was the sale of the former railroad right-of-way, then owned by Railroad Land Co., with the cooperation of Richard "Dick" Blossman and the Blossman family.
Assistant District Attorney Donald Kearns, center, guides the process of document signings by Steve Stefancik, left, and Richard "Dick" Blossman, right. Standing from left in the background are Adelaide Boettner, Denis Bechac, Bart Pepperman, Floyd Glass, Bernie Willie and Keith Villere.
Click on above image to make it larger.
The video tells about the contributions made by Kevin Davis and a large number of other parish and municipal officials, as well as the efforts by several state and federal agencies and citizen groups, among them the New Orleans bicycling clubs, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, and the area chambers of commerce. Bill Keller with the New Orleans biking group shared his thoughts on how important this Rails To Trails project would become.
Also spotlighted were the elected officials at the federal and state level who helped coordinate the approval of the many agencies involved.
Part of the crowd at the event
Kevin Davis and Richard Blossman
Eddie Deano thanked by Kevin Davis
Attorney Donald Kearns shakes hands with Richard Blossman
Kevin Davis thanks the Blossman family for its participation
Kevin Davis was credited with a tremendously successful effort to bring all the parties together for the proposed project.
The signing took place on the train platform at the northern end of the Covington Train Depot, before it became a restaurant seating area.
Steve Stefancik telling the crowd how historic and important securing the railroad corridor was.
Stefancik shaking hands with Blossman after signing.
Stefancik tells the audience about the possible future plans for the railroad corridor
Bill Keller, one of the last people to be recognized in the video, was a volunteer with the New Orleans Bicycle Awareness Committee, and he said his group helped bring the railroad corridor availability to the attention of parish officials three years earlier.
"For the last year we have been standing by and cheering," he said regarding the tremendous community and political interest in securing the abandoned railroad track for public purposes. He commended Kevin Davis and state officials with doing a "remarkable" job in bringing it all together. "This is the first Rails to Trails conversion in the state," he went on to say. He also noted it was one of the first times for a project to be linked to the new Transportation Enhancement Activity program of the federal government.
Keller commented that he didn't know if Kevin and all the others realized how important this action was in acquiring the corridor. "I think it will be the most important thing that Davis and Bill Oiler will ever do. You're going to see the real results of this in a few years. We appreciate seeing what St. Tammany is doing for the whole bicycling community and for anybody who likes the great outdoors."
Bill Keller
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The railroad started curtailing services to the parish in 1973
Click on the newspaper articles to enlarge them for easier reading
By 1990, the track was up for abandonment
Click on the images to make them larger and more readable.
A large park featuring a variety of nature trails alongside Bayou Lacombe is now in the planning stages. In a June 23, 2021, update, Parish Council Member Jimmie Davis of District 7 unveiled the latest proposal for the Lacombe Trace Trails and Nature Park construction design.
After several meetings with local residents, parish planners, and grant application personnel, they have decided to make the Park only accessible via the Tammany Trace by foot or bike. The park will be completely surrounded by a fence with only two gated visitor entrances from the Lacombe Tammany Trace, one where the old RR spur meets the Trace, and the other near the Lacombe Trailhead on the West side of the drawbridge.
The Tammany Trace drawbridge over Bayou Lacombe Click on images to make them larger.
The Park will truly be a “passive” park with walking trails, a boardwalk, a single restroom (required by Louisiana State Parks) and interpretive kiosk. The Park’s hours of operation will align with the Trace, 7:00 AM - 7:30 PM. All visitor gates will be secured at 7:30 PM. Secure gate entrances from the existing boat launch parking area on Main St. will only be accessible by St. Tammany Parish maintenance crews, construction personnel and Trace Rangers.
A diagram of the proposed nature trails park
This is a great project, sure to be a key attraction for Tammany Trace riders and walkers, and a focal point on the natural setting on Bayou Lacombe as well as the area's rich historical and heritage preservation efforts.
Council member Jimmie Davis met with Tom Aicklen (at left) to discuss the heritage preservation possibilities of the new Lacombe Nature Trail Park. Aicklen lives near Tammany Trace and knows its potential for not only recreational use, but for cultural and heritage promotion as well, since it crosses through some of the most historic areas of St. Tammany Parish.
Tammany Trace passes through or near several key historical locations, places of interest to naturalists, environmentalists, historians, and visitors from around the country.
December 2025 Update
Work continues on the eagerly anticipated 25-acre Lacombe Nature Park, featuring kayak launches, boardwalks and activities along the Tammany Trace and Bayou Lacombe.
The $2 million grant-funded project is a partnership between Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser's office and St. Tammany Parish Government, benefiting the citizens of Lacombe and all of St. Tammany Parish!
The park is scheduled to be completed by Spring 2026.
Tunnels are fairly rare in south Louisiana, but now St. Tammany has more than one. A tunnel under La. Hwy. 59 midway between Mandeville and Abita Springs was recently completed to take Tammany Trace pedestrian and cyclist traffic underground.
The safety improvements help persons using the Tammany Trace get across the busy highway by entering a long tunnel that goes below the highway. The highway itself was also re-aligned to produce a smoother S-curve. The highway in that area is intersected by several commercial/industrial driveways.
A
tunnel was built under U. S. 190 in Mandeville in 2001 to handle
Tammany Trace traffic going through that area. Click on the images to make them larger.
The U.S. 190 Tammany Trace tunnel in Mandeville
An official ribbon cutting for the Hwy. 59 tunnel took place on September 21, 2022, with Parish President Mike Cooper cutting the ribbon. (Photos from parish government website).
A video of the ribbon cutting is available from the WGNO website.
The new tunnel,Highway
Project H.010184, was bid out by the State of Louisiana - Department of
Transportation and Development (DOTD), with Meyer Engineers, Ltd.
designing and providing project management for the planned Tammany Trace
tunnel under LA 59.
A portion of the highway plans layout for the Tammany Trace tunnel. The tunnel is shown going from side to side at a slight angle in dark cross-hatching. West is at the top.
According to the department, the project removed the existing, dangerous at-grade crossing between the Tammany Trace and LA 59 by routing traffic on the Trace under LA 59 with a 150 foot long tunnel. The tunnel project included approach ramps, a sump pump to keep the tunnel dry, lighting, and waterproofing. An at grade crossing with LA 59 will be maintained to allow access to the Trace from LA 59.
This view, with west at the top, shows the old existing road in light outline, and the new roadway with connecting side roads in dark lines. Business driveways are seen also in light outline. Turning lanes
The old "S" Curve
Additionally,
the project has improved LA 59 by straightening the existing sharp "S"
curve left behind from when the Tammany Trace was a railroad.
This part of Tammany Trace is now underground
A close up of plans for the tunnel cross-section
Early equipment on site relocated overhead powerlines
This project is part of a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) between St. Tammany Parish and LA DOTD. Overall the project may cost close to $4 million.
Here are some construction photographs taken over the past two years.
Photos by Ron Barthet and Dirk van Duym
The next several pictures are from Dec. 20, 2020
The following pictures are from April 26, 2021
Tunnel completely covered with dirt, May 15, 2021
August 23, 2021: Traffic rerouted over new pavement over tunnel
Old section of roadway barricaded off
Southern entrance ramp to tunnel to be built, tunnel to be pumped out New roadway going over the top of the tunnel
Side entrances squared off
Traffic over the smoother, wider "S" curve
October 27, 2021 Photographs
The southern entrance ramp is being walled up.
Photos from December 14, 2021
Southern entrance walls are up and there's light at the end of the tunnel
Photos from May 28, 2022 (Not officially open yet)
The Mandeville Tammany Trace Tunnel Here are some photographs of the existing tunnel in Mandeville where Tammany Trace swoops under the busy U.S. Hwy. 190 thoroughfare.
The Rails to Trails Conservancy announced on July 19, 2017, that the Tammany Trace had won it’s annual competition for induction into the national Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. The Trace joins 30 previous Hall of Fame winners recognized for
outstanding scenic value, use, amenities, historical significance and
community value
