WEST MONROE, LA. (KTVE/KARD) — With the support of Louisiana District 5 U.S. Representative Julia Letlow and U.S. Senator Dr. Bill Cassidy, the city of West Monroe has received $7.4 million in federal funding to be put towards infrastructure improvements across the city.

$5 million of this funding will be going towards the North Trenton Street Bike and Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project. This project includes constructing 10-foot wide shared bicycle and pedestrian paths along Trenton Street as well as drainage improvements and other advancements.

West Monroe Mayor, Staci Mitchell, says that this is just a part of the larger project plan that the city has for citizen safety.

“The project that the city will be receiving appropriations funding for through Congresswoman Julia Letlow is a pedestrian safety project so it will improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as some vehicular safety on Trenton Street. It’s just one component of our larger plan for connectivity and improvements throughout the city of West Monroe.”

With the funds going through a process before the city receives them, Mayor Mitchell is hoping to see improvements within the next one to two years.

“We won’t see the funding for a while there’s a process to go through. So I hope that we’ll see some construction on some projects within maybe a year to 18 months. This is a multi-year long-term project and this is just the beginning. And it’s a good part of it, it’s a large part of it so we’re excited about it.”