VIDALIA, La. — Crews are widening Louisiana 15 in Concordia Parish to make room for cyclists and pedestrians, said Construction Engineer Ricky Moon of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

&uot;I&160;think it’s the greatest thing in the world,&uot;&160;said Travis Walters, a mechanic at Natchez Bicycle Center, who often cycles along Louisiana 15. &uot;The main advantage will be safety. A lot of service trucks and log trucks travel down that road, and there’s no where for us to go. Some drivers aren’t friendly to us guys on two wheels.&uot;

Crews from The Blain Cos. in Natchez are widening the shoulder of the highway up to four feet on each side from Vidalia to the south end of Concordia Parish — a distance of 45 miles.

A work order was issued for the $3.8 million project on April 7, and the contractor has 125 working days to complete it, Moon said.

By Friday, widening was finished on one side of the highway and was about to start on the other side, according to the LDTD office in Ferriday. Work being done in Concordia Parish is actually part the Mississippi River Trail, a federally designated biking trial that will extend through seven states, all the way from St. Genevieve, Mo., to New Orleans.

In Natchez, the trail extends down Mississippi 555/Martin Luther King Street, Main Street and Canal Street, then turns onto John R. Junkin Drive and extends across the Mississippi River bridge. Some signs have already been erected to designate the trail in Natchez, said City Engineer David Gardner. The Mississippi Department of Transportation has not yet approved any shoulder work along the trail.