Paving the way for a new Atchafalaya Welcome Center experience

The Atchafalaya Welcome Center, a first-class facility completed in June 2004 consisting of a beautifully designed 8,900-square-foot Acadian-style cottage and museum, is located off Interstate 10 at exit 121. Detached from the welcome center are restrooms on each side of the complex, connected by walkpaths beneath the Interstate 10 Atchafalaya Bridge. ABMB designed all of the site features including paving, grading, drainage and erosion control for both sides of the complex improvements to the interstate ramps and access road to Lake Pelba. Key design elements of the southern area of the site, where the Welcome Center building is located, are 74 passenger vehicle parking stalls, 10 Recreational Vehicle parking stalls, 2 dumping stations, walkpaths and picnic pavilions, and a scenic bayou setting created to promote the cultural significance of the site. The north area provides 43 truck and trailer parking stalls with walkpaths and picnic pavilions. The project was funded with a mix of federal and state monies through the Atchafalaya Basin Program and required multi-agency coordination with the Louisiana departments of Natural Resources (DNR), Culture, Recreation and Tourism (CRT), and Transportation and Development (DOTD) along with US Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and St. Martin Parish government.

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