The City of Abbeville has received national recognition through the 2026 Abbeville FHWA Award, earning the title of National Winner in the Putting Families First category of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Build a Better Mousetrap Innovation Program.S The City’s winning submission, Downtown Abbeville Street Improvement Project, was recognized for its approach to making downtown safer, more accessible, and more welcoming for residents, businesses, and visitors. The Build a Better Mousetrap program recognizes creative solutions developed by local governments to improve transportation and infrastructure. For 2026, FHWA evaluated more than 100 combined submissions from the 2025 and 2026 program years. Abbeville was selected as the national winner in the newly established Putting Families First category, which recognizes projects that improve transportation and mobility for families and communities.
The Downtown Road Project began with a goal of improving aging streets and addressing safety concerns throughout Abbeville’s Historic Main Street District. Rather than simply resurfacing roads, the City took a broader approach that focused on how people use downtown every day. Through community meetings, traffic studies, partnerships, and a temporary demonstration project, residents had an opportunity to experience proposed changes and provide feedback before permanent improvements were made. The completed project included improved pedestrian crossings, traffic-calming features, bicycle accommodations, updated sidewalks, safer intersections, and decorative elements that reflect Abbeville’s history and culture. These improvements helped create a downtown that better serves people of all ages and abilities while supporting local businesses, events, and future development.
While the award does not include additional funding, it brings national attention to Abbeville and the work being done in our community. The recognition also creates opportunities to share the City’s experience with transportation professionals, strengthen future grant applications, build partnerships, and highlight Abbeville’s approach to improving local infrastructure. The award reflects the combined efforts of City leadership, employees, engineers, contractors, state and local partners, downtown businesses, and residents who helped bring the project to life.
As a national award winner, the City of Abbeville will have the opportunity to share its success on both the state and national levels. Cristian LeJeune, the City’s Communications & Media Coordinator, who prepared and submitted the award-winning entry, will present the project during an upcoming Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Innovation Exchange webinar in December and at the 2027 Louisiana Transportation Conference, scheduled for March 7–10 in Baton Rouge. During the conference, the Louisiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center will also present the City with its national award plaque. These opportunities will allow Abbeville to share its experience with other communities looking for practical ways to improve safety, accessibility, and downtown transportation. The City of Abbeville is proud to receive this national recognition and looks forward to building on this achievement for the benefit of our community.
Learn More: View the City of Abbeville’s recognition on the official FHWA 2026 National Winners webpage
We have identified a website that falsely claims to be an official online payment portal for the City of Abbeville. Please be aware that if you choose to use a third-party website like Doxo.com to pay your utility bills there is a delay in receipt of the payment to your account. This delay could lead to late fees and disconnection of your utility services. We do not endorse Doxo.com or its affiliates and cannot waive additional charges or issues caused by using their service.
We strongly recommend using the City of Abbeville’s official payment portal for online transactions.
