The site of the old boardwalk in downtown New Iberia is coming along as city government begins work on a new walking path project. 

The project comes as part of a grant that is cohesive with the city of New Iberia’s Master Plan for downtown New Iberia, which includes revamping historic sites and building upon the area’s natural beauty. 

The boardwalk, which was commonly used by people during events in downtown New Iberia, was located adjacent to the bayou and goes from the bridge on Duperier Avenue to Shadows-on-the-Teche.

Thanks to a grant, the city of New Iberia engaged in a project to replace the boardwalk, which Mayor Freddie DeCourt said was becoming old and worn down due to years of use. 

City employees have been conducting in-kind work by filling in the area with dirt and the wooden part of the boardwalk has already been completely removed. City government is aiming to replace the wooden boardwalk with pavement for a walkable path. 

The project is also in tandem with the marina project to be located at the same spot, 

The City of New Iberia Civic Center Marina will receive more than $200,000 in federal funds as part of a U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program. 

The project is part of the Boating Infrastructure Grant and is intended to benefit recreational boaters and the local economy. Coastal Timbers is the contractor currently working on the project. 

The project is a three-phase project that will construct 512 feet of mooring docks to be used by transient boaters. Phase II consists of 225 feet of mooring dock that includes four boat slips. Once all three phases are complete, transient boaters will have access to a safe docking facility and services such as shore power, Wi-Fi and potable water. 

Both projects connect to the work that was already done in connection to George Rodrigue Park. The pavement project aims to connect the park to other parts of downtown via a walkable path. 

The area is frequently used for festivals, speaking events and of course the Mardi Gras parade that annually runs through downtown New Iberia each year.