Lafayette Consolidated Government is getting a $5,000 grant to turn the abandoned railway along North Saint Antoine Street into a walking path.

The grant comes from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and will be used to develop design renderings and gather community input.

Six out of 170 applicants from across the country were chosen to receive a portion of a $100,000 investment made through RTC's Dopplet Fund Grant.

RTC says the grant helps to bring regional trail projects to fruition.

The North St. Antoine Street trail project hopes to connect historically disadvantaged communities to parks, recreational opportunities and job centers.

A second Louisiana project, Bike Easy, was awarded $5,000 to build a network of trails across Orleans, St. Tammany, Jefferson, St. Bernard and St. John the Baptist parishes.

Read more about the projects awarded this year, here.