BATON ROUGE — Maintenance on Highland Road from South Boulevard to LSU is one of several projects the city-parish transportation department is working on over the next several months, Director Fred Raiford said in a 2une In interview Thursday morning.

"It needs to be done. We have lighting we're looking at also enhancing," Raiford told traffic reporter Lauren Hawkins, noting that this will at least start by the end of the year.

Raiford added work will also be done on Hollywood and Amarillo streets, in addition to the ongoing pothole-filling project announced Wednesday.

Raiford also shed some light on the changes coming to the area around May Street, which closed Wednesday until late next year as work continues on the University Lakes Projects. He said the new bridge being built for the road will provide "great drainage work between...University Lake and also City Park."

There will also be 14-foot multi-use paths on each side of the road to tie Dalrymple to East Lakeshore drives.

"To me, that's a big deal because we do get a lot of concerns about the safety in that area and that's what we're trying to do," Raiford said, adding that he wants to improve more than just infrastructure with the May Street work.

Lighting will also be improved to make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians, Raiford said.

"People are gonna be amazed," he said. "I look at some of the renderings that we're gonna have of that, and the Lakes Project is gonna be our biggest asset."

Raiford also addressed concerns that the roadway closure would cause issues with school transportation. He said he is working with East Baton Rouge School District Superintendent LaMont Cole on the details of working around navigating the closure for buses and other school transport.