The Lafitte Greenway is a 2.6-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail connecting historic New Orleans neighborhoods from Armstrong Park to City Park. Opened by the City of New Orleans in 2015, the Lafitte Greenway features sports fields, basketball courts, play and fitness equipment, grassy lawns, 500 newly planted trees, energy-efficient lighting, and innovative stormwater management features. Here, th
e City of New Orleans has transformed on of its most historic transportation and commercial routes into a vibrant linear park. Early French explorers chose New Orleans' location because of its proximity to Bayou St. John, which provided access to Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico. In 1794, the Spanish Governor of Louisiana built the Carondelet Canal, connecting the Bayou to the edge of the city (today's French Quarter) and creating a thriving waterway and preferable route for commercial ships to enter New Orleans with their daily transport of oysters, lumber, charcoal, and building materials. The Southern Railway constructed a railroad line adjacent to this canal in the early 20th century. Canal maintenance proved difficult, and maritime commerce declined in the corridor, resulting in the canal being filled. In the mid-twentieth century, the once vital railroad line in the heart of the city was largely decommissioned, leaving the land vacant until its rebirth at the Lafitte Greenway.
