BATON ROUGE — A popular street connecting South Acadian Thruway to Dalrymple Drive will close starting Wednesday, rerouting motorists and pedestrians until the fall of 2026 as part of the ongoing University Lakes Restoration Project.

May Street, a favored route for those walking around the LSU Lakes, will be inaccessible, leading to frustration and longer commutes.

Signs announcing the closure have begun to appear, alerting daily users like Joel Podolsky, who lives nearby and enjoys cycling the area, to the intrusive road work.

"It's going to be aggravating, frustrating, and dangerous, I think," Podolsky said.

LSU senior Alexis Ray, who frequently walks May Street, will now have to find a new spot for her exercise.

"I think just walking the lakes is something that most everybody, and especially students, do," Ray said. "I feel like I see so many different people out here. So I feel like finding somewhere new to walk that’s close to campus and accessible, especially to where a lot of students live, is going to be difficult.”

Another LSU student, Anna Toms, echoes Ray's sentiment.

"It really makes me sad because it’s a vital part of being an LSU student is walking the lakes," Toms said.

The closure also presents a significant new obstacle for drivers. With East Lakeshore Drive also shut down due to Interstate 10 construction, alternate routes will add nearly 10 minutes to commutes. Drivers will need to utilize South Acadian Thruway or Perkins Road to navigate around the affected area on the lakes.

Dona Bagots, who lives near the closure, anticipates increased traffic.

"Traffic will be interesting to see how that plays out," Bagots said. "Leaving our house will be like football season all year long."

The May Street closure is a part of the multi-year University Lakes Project, which includes dredging the lake system between LSU and City Park. Once the May Street construction is done, a new bridge will be put in place.

The project's leadership says the May Street closure is a necessary component of the Lakes Project's work.