If you asked someone who has never lived here to describe the Tammany Trace, they'd probably tell you it's one unbroken 31-mile ribbon of asphalt running from downtown Covington through Abita Springs and Mandeville, out to Lacombe, and finishing in Slidell. That's the postcard version, and it's mostly true. It just isn't true right now.
Since March 30, 2026, a section of the Trace between the Abita Springs Trailhead and Gordon Avenue has been closed while the parish replaces the wooden bridge over the Abita River with a new 300-foot steel trestle span. It's a $1.6 million project, and St. Tammany Parish government has said the work won't wrap up until the end of the year. The old span was one of 32 bridges built on the original railroad trestles when the parish converted the abandoned Illinois Central corridor into Louisiana's first rails-to-trails project back in 1992, and it had simply worn out. That stretch sits right at the edge of Abita Springs, the one town on the route that falls directly between Covington and Mandeville. Practically, that means a rider who wants to pedal straight through from Covington to Mandeville without touching a road can't do it right now, and won't be able to until sometime after the holidays.
The closure affects riders in different ways, and the contrast offers a closer look at how people across the Northshore use the Trace.
How the Closure Affects Trail Users
The Trace was built as a through-route, but it also serves local out-and-back rides: down to the Mandeville Trailhead for coffee, maybe past the amphitheater, back home before it gets hot, or to the Abita Brew Pub and back from Abita Springs. The bridge lies on a stretch used by riders making longer, town-to-town trips.
So the closure is real, and if you're planning a Covington-to-Mandeville ride before winter, you'll need to route around it on surface streets. The closure affects longer town-to-town rides differently from short, reliable loops near home.
Old Mandeville's Restaurants Near the Trailhead
The neighborhood clustered around the Trace's southern end—the Mandeville Trailhead and the lakefront a few blocks beyond it—has added restaurants while the bridge project is underway.
A NOLA.com report covered a wave of new restaurants in Old Mandeville that started in 2025: Aperitif Spritz + Bites, a tapas spot from longtime local caterer Cayman Sinclair; Iceburg Charlie's Grill & Chill; and Noir Bistrot, both of which opened near the Trailhead itself. They joined an already dense strip that includes Nuvolari's, Donz on the Lake, Rips on the Lake, the Barley Oak, and Pat's Rest Awhile, all within a few blocks of the water.
In a report by NOLA.com, Sinclair, who opened Aperitif in the building he already owned along the lakefront, said: "Mandeville needs this." He was drawing a comparison to Covington, which has spent the last couple of years pulling in higher-end restaurants that draw diners from across the parish. In the same NOLA.com report, Katie Guasco, chief marketing officer for Visit The Northshore, said: "It's growing all over the parish."
The restaurants are part of Old Mandeville's walkable cluster near the water, close to the Trailhead.
Covington's Downtown Dining Scene
The same pattern is playing out in downtown Covington. The historic core has added The Hampshire, an upscale dinner spot aimed at the date-night and special-occasion crowd, and The Ox & The Bee, a new favorite a few doors down. Joe's Pizza & Pasta moved into the space that used to house DiCristina's, giving the neighborhood a familiar Italian option under a new name.
Covington's dining scene has momentum of its own, centered on a walkable downtown grid.
The Institution That Just Moved
Mandeville Seafood's move is another local development during the Trace closure.
A NOLA.com report covered Mandeville Seafood's move to a brand-new building directly across LA-59 from its old spot. Mandeville Seafood, a market and kitchen that's been serving the west side of St. Tammany Parish since 1996, closed its doors from July 27 through August 2 for the move. The new location has roughly double the square footage of the old one and a parking lot three times the size, timed to land in the restaurant's 30th year in business.
The Mandeville Trailhead Community Market
If there's a single weekly event that captures how self-contained each Northshore town has become, it's the Mandeville Trailhead Community Market, held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Lafitte Street. More than 80 local vendors set up to sell produce, honey, cut flowers, and prepared food, and the city pairs it with Friday evening concerts under the Mandeville Live! banner throughout the season. The market sits adjacent to the Trace and is part of Mandeville's Saturday routine while the bridge is closed.
What This Actually Means If You Live Here
None of this is an argument that the Trace doesn't matter. It's still one of the better rail-trail conversions in the state, and the parish has kept it in good shape for over three decades, a point worth remembering the next time you're gliding past the oaks between Mandeville and Fontainebleau State Park. The bridge closure is a reminder that the Trace connects distinct Northshore towns, each with its own restaurant scene and Saturday morning rituals. Residents use the trail for both local rides and longer trips between towns.
If you're one of the riders who does the long haul between Covington and Mandeville, plan around the closure through the rest of the year and expect to spend a few miles on surface roads near Abita Springs. The effect of the closure depends on whether your ride is a local out-and-back or a longer trip between towns.
Understanding which parts of a neighborhood's daily rhythm are genuinely load-bearing, and which are just nice to have, is the same instinct that matters when you're deciding where to put down roots here. If you're weighing a move within the Northshore or curious what a specific block near the lakefront or downtown Covington is actually worth this year, the team at Wurth Real Estate Services knows this parish block by block. Reach out for a free home valuation and a conversation grounded in what's actually happening on the ground, not just what the postcard says.
