roadwork

Traffic advisory: Sections of Freret and Broadway to close for roadwork projects

By |

From the Mayor’s Office

The city’s Department of Public Works announced two street closures as repairs continue. Freret Street has closed from Palmer Avenue to State Street for approximately five weeks. And beginning Monday (April 5), Broadway Street will be closed between Earhart Boulevard and Colapissa Street, also for about five weeks. Lane closure signs are in place and residents are reminded to use caution when driving, bicycling and walking near the construction sites. Freret: Boh Bros Construction Co.

city government

Road repair and repaving coming to Octavia Street in April

By |

The Octavia Street roadwork project — which encompasses work on seven blocks of Octavia Street, from South Claiborne Avenue to Freret Street, and 10 blocks branching off of Octavia — is set to begin in April and conclude at the end of the year. The $5.1 million project is part of the city-wide Capital Improvement Program, a roughly $2.2 billion collection of over 200 projects around the city, aimed at upgrading roads, sewerage and other infrastructure. 

On Monday (March 29) evening, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Engagement hosted an online meeting to inform residents and field questions about street repair work coming to Octavia and the side streets between Claiborne and Freret. Kimberly Turner, the outreach coordinator with Roadwork NOLA, noted that the residents had waited for the upcoming improvements “for a while.”

Octavia Street will be getting full reconstruction work in the 2300 to 2900 blocks. This involves repairing sewerage, water and drainage lines; completely reconstructing the street; and performing sidewalk repair. The side streets will receive patch mill/overlay work, which will repave the asphalt, fix the sidewalks, and perform upgrades to the curb cuts to bring them into ADA compliance as needed.

Endangered Places: French Benevolent Society Tomb in Lafayette Cemetery No. 2

By |

This is the second in a series following up on the Uptown sites named on the Louisiana Landmarks Society’s 2020 list of New Orleans’ Nine Most Endangered Sites. The cemetery off of Washington Avenue in Central City is, to be expected, quiet on a Monday morning. Tombs in various states of care are engraved with names reflecting the teeming diversity of New Orleans when the cemetery was established in 1850: Oberschmidt, Armato, Battiste, Tujague, Noble. Other tombs, the large multi-level ones, are often benevolent associations: Deutscheler Hendwerker Verein (German Craftsmen Association, 1868), Societé de Bienfaisance de Boucher (French Butchers Society, 1867), Young Men Olympia Benevolent Association, 1883, and Société Française de Bienfaisance et d’Assistance Mutuelle (French Benevolent Society, 1850). While not as cinematically famous as Lafayette Cemetery No.

Roadwork update: Freret, Irish Channel, Hollygrove, Broadmoor, Audubon, Central City, East Carrollton, Fontainebleau

By |

 

From the Mayor’s Office

An unprecedented amount of infrastructure work is happening across New Orleans — altogether more than $500 million on roadways and on vertical construction projects and there is more to come. For the first time in more than five years, the city has approved nearly $300 million in bonds for a tax-exempt sale, which will lead to multiple projects out for advertisement in the coming months. These projects are designed to improve public spaces, add more stormwater storage and fix more streets. Additionally, about $110 million in joint infrastructure roadway projects, $10 million in capital building projects, and $100 million in green infrastructure projects will be out for bid in the next few months. Roadwork NOLA released updates on the following projects in Uptown neighborhoods.

city government

Traffic advisory: Dublin Street in Carrollton area to close this week for roadwork

By |

From the Mayor’s Office
Beginning Monday (March 8) and continuing through Friday, (March 12), weather permitting, the 1800 block of Dublin Street, between Hickory and Cohn streets, will be closed to vehicular traffic to allow construction crews to start pavement restoration. Road closure signs will be in place throughout the process. During this time, street parking and driveway access will be impacted. Residents and visitors are reminded to adhere to “No Parking” signage to avoid being ticketed or towed, as well as to use caution when driving, bicycling and walking near the construction site. This work is part of the $15 million Hollygrove Leonidas Group A project that includes replacing/repairing damaged underground water, sewer and/or drainage lines; repairing damaged curbs and gutters; patching the roadway with asphalt; replacing damaged sidewalks and driveway aprons; and installing Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps at intersections.

Louisiana Landmarks Society

Endangered Places: HANO names developer for original B.W. Cooper buildings

By |

In a city known for its architecture, culture and history — and the use of these treasured elements in tourism promotion — it can be a surprise when they are neglected by the city that originated or inspired them. While the Louisiana Landmarks Society can’t solve all of the problems, for the past 71 years, the group has shone a light on at-risk historic buildings and other structures, such as tombs, in danger of falling down and being demolished by neglect and on neighborhoods that are at risk of being permanently altered by destructive new developments. In 2005, the organization annually began a program naming “New Orleans Nine Most Endangered Sites” to bring awareness to the issues these programs or historic structures face. 

There are success stories, such as the St. Roch Market, Orpheum Theater, St. Francis de Sales Church, the World Trade Center and Myrtles Banks Elementary.

arts, books and music

Nix Library to close temporarily for ADA renovations 

By |

Nix Library will temporarily close to the public for facilities upgrades to bring the building to American Disabilities Act standards, starting Monday (Feb. 22). 

The project includes the installation of an ADA-compliant wheelchair lift and an accessible public bathroom. 

Located on South Carrollton Avenue, Nix Library has been a part of the New Orleans Public Library since 1930. Executive Director and City Librarian Gabriel Morley said the renovations will make Nix better equipped to serve the entire community. 

“The Nix Library renovations will ensure that this community treasure truly is for everyone,” Morley said. “We’re thrilled to be revamping one of our oldest library locations in a way that will allow us to increase access and continue to fulfill our mission to transform lives, enrich neighborhoods and preserve history for years to come.” 

Construction for the project will begin March 1, and Nix Library will be closed for the duration of these renovations and will reopen following their completion. 

Items may not be returned to Nix Library during its closure, but library users can return items checked out from Nix Library to any other library location. 

This project is expected to be completed in Summer 2021. A reopening date will be determined when renovations are complete. 

For the duration of the closure, Nix patrons can use any of the other 14 library locations.

arts, books and music

Community photo shoot today at Dryades and Toledano

By |

From the Mayor’s Office

The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy this week continues its third “Embrace the Culture” virtual series with a weekly “Geaux Live NOLA” event — part of a multi-week series that will feature live-streamed performances by local artists and musicians. This week’s event has been rescheduled to today, Feb. 19, from noon to 4 p.m. This will be a community photoshoot with photographer Felice Gee. The event will take place on the corner of Dryades and Toledano streets. A maximum of 10 people every half hour can participate.

business

New wine shop from Second Vine Wine proposed for Magazine Street

By |

The stretch of Magazine Street between Gen. Pershing and Milan streets has seen a lot of comings and goings of businesses through the years, and even more recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One new business that plans to open in the next few months is Second Vine Wine, in the space that most recently housed the Claudia Croazzo clothing store, at 4210-14 Magazine St. If the wine shop’s name is familiar, it’s because Second Vine Wine was previously located in the Marigny Triangle. It closed last year in March, just after the pandemic and lockdowns began. But you can’t keep a wine lover and educator away from Bacchus’ call, and Troy Gant, one of the previous Second Vine Wine owners, is harvesting a new wine shop.

Roadwork updates: Audubon, Black Pearl, East Carrollton, Broadmoor, Central City, Freret, Fontainebleau

By |

From the Mayor’s Office

Audubon Group A

After taking a pause during the holidays, Boh Bros Construction Co. crews continued underground utility work and roadway restoration in the Audubon neighborhood as part of the $7.3 million Audubon Group A infrastructure improvement project.  In January, crews continued excavation and milling work on Hurst and Octavia streets. Waterline work on Webster and Henry Clay streets continued in close collaboration with Sewerage & Water Board. The project is currently scheduled to be complete in summer 2021, weather permitting. Black Pearl, East Carrollton Group A

The $11.9 million Black Pearl, East Carrollton Group A project, which began construction in August 2020, continues to make progress.