Opelousas council approves Lidacore match, advances $1.6M Market Street TAP application

Opelousas approved a resolution on May 13 authorizing the mayor to accept matching funds from the Louisiana Infrastructure Technical Assistance Corporation, commonly called Lidacore, to cover the local share for a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant application to improve the Market Street corridor.

The action came after a presentation from Lakisha Hart, state planning manager with the Division of Administration office of planning and budget, and consultants from the Center for Planning Excellence. Hart said the state was awarded a $1,900,000 Thriving Communities Program grant and that each selected community, including Opelousas, was allocated $95,000 to support planning. Casey, a consultant with the Center for Planning Excellence, described the TAP project aimed at improving bicycle and pedestrian access along Market Street and between North City Park and South City Park.

The nut graf: The grant application seeks federal TAP funds to reconstruct pedestrian ramps, add high-visibility crosswalk striping, restore roadway smoothness and reapply faded sharrows along a roughly quarter-mile corridor from the downtown plan. The total project cost is listed at $1,600,000; the local match would be roughly $161,000 but Lidacore agreed to cover the match so the city would contribute $0 toward construction if the TAP application is approved.

Hart told the council the state and consultants will support a small-area plan for the Marcus Street/Market Street corridor and that the work would run from July 2024 through 2027. Casey described the application as “a good option for a Transportation Alternatives Program, which I'll call TAP,” and walked council through the proposed elements: replacing raised sidewalk steps with ADA-accessible ramps, adding crosswalk striping, resurfacing to improve smoothness and re-striping bicycle sharrows.

Council members asked technical questions about scope and utility impacts. Alderman Charles Cummings asked whether ramps would be placed at every intersection; Casey said the initial TAP project focuses on intersections and related roadway work because full sidewalk reconstruction along building fronts would raise costs and require coordination with private property owners. Staff also said engineering and flood/drainage issues would be considered if the application is accepted and engineers are engaged.

The resolution to accept Lidacore funds and authorize the mayor to execute related documents passed on a 5-1 vote (Alderman Dalita Broussard voted no). The council moved the resolution as Motion by Alderman Sherrell Roberts, seconded by Alderman Chastity Warren and Alderman Marvin Richard; it was recorded as Resolution No. 8 of 2025.

Why it matters: If the TAP application is approved, the project would use an existing downtown plan priority and federal funds to remove ADA barriers and improve multi‑modal access between parks, schools and downtown. Lidacore’s match could allow Opelousas to advance a construction-scale project without tapping general fund dollars.

The council will next consider the formal TAP application and related implementation documents; the presentation materials and the consultant scope were noted as available to the council and public.