Council hears designs for Monkhouse Drive beautification; staff to perform traffic and survey work

Shreveport city staff and a private design team presented conceptual designs Tuesday for a Monkhouse Drive beautification project intended to improve the roughly 1,600‑foot corridor between Hollywood Avenue and Interstate 20.

Brandon Ia, operations manager with the design team, said the contractor delivered three concept alternatives and completed an initial 30% conceptual phase. The proposals include a "road diet" to reallocate pavement, medians in some locations, new curb and gutter, wider sidewalks (five to eight feet), landscaping buffers, street lighting with banners, and entry features at corridor ends. "Our goal is to add curb and gutter and remove pavement, such that we create a wider area on the backside of the curb between the curb and the right of way for those street lamps," Ia told council members.

Marcus Taylor, introduced as the city's public works team leader, joined the presentation and said design will follow standard traffic studies and topographic surveys to confirm the concepts and meet applicable AASHTO requirements. "As we move into our design phase, we will be doing traffic studies, traffic counts, to confirm that these changes are acceptable," Ia said.

Council members endorsed low‑maintenance planting schemes and asked for attention to long‑term upkeep. Council members repeatedly urged selection of species and hardscape treatments that reduce future maintenance burdens. "I am always concerned about landscaping that comes in, looks great, and then turns to weeds," Councilman O'Farrell said, asking that irrigation and long‑term maintenance be addressed.

Councilman Green and others noted pedestrian access is currently limited across Hollywood Avenue and expressed support for improved sidewalks, bicycle access and safer crossings. Staff said they plan to move sidewalks away from the road and provide about an 8‑foot grassed buffer between the curb and walkway for pedestrian safety.

Budget and next steps discussed in the presentation included using existing pavement where feasible, replacing isolated panels as needed, and allocating the majority of the budget to pavement removal, planting, street lamps and other streetscape features. The team said exact costs and final design depend on field surveys and traffic studies. Ia said the corridor's paving is mostly in good condition and that the project budget could be focused on removing excess pavement and adding streetscape elements rather than full repaving.

Council members asked for additional renderings and a follow‑up presentation at the 60–90% design milestone. Staff said they will provide updated artist renderings and technical plans as the design advances.