Date of Award


Degree Name

Master of City and Regional Planning/MS in Engineering (Transportation Planning Specialization)


Civil and Environmental Engineering


Michael Boswell


This thesis was done in the professional project format. It was completed as a deliverable to the City of Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was developed in accordance with the State of Louisiana Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

A bicycle and pedestrian master plan is a document meant to serve as a guide to staff and decision-makers on how to best develop future bicycle and pedestrian improvements. It is a comprehensive document that identifies and prioritizes new projects for sidewalks, bicycle facilities, and off-street paths. It accomplishes this by following these steps:

1. Identify existing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

2. Provide a “on the ground” survey of conditions of existing infrastructure.

3. Conduct public input sessions to gather information regarding necessary projects.

4. Apply four criteria (Attractors, Generators, Connectivity, and Affordability) to rank the priority of each project.

5. Identify likely funding sources for each project.

6. Suggest steps for plan implementation and next steps.

7. Present findings to public and elected officials.

Following these steps, a complete bicycle and pedestrian master plan was developed. A total of 149 sidewalk projects, 40 bicycle network projects, and five off-street multi-use paths were identified and prioritized. The identification of these projects will serve to assist in their inclusion to the City’s and regional planning bodies transportation improvement plan (TIP).