Improvements to add accessibility features to six St. Charles Avenue streetcar stops will interrupt service for two months, beginning in November. (RTA photo)
In early November, the city’s New Orleans Department of Public Works and the Regional Transit Authority will begin an approximately two-month project to improve access for people with disabilities at six streetcar stops.
The RTA selected stations at major intersections and at the beginning and end of the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line. The RTA will operate a shuttle bus during construction. Traffic along the route will also be affected.
Enhancements will include additional concrete around the transit stop, a ramp and turnaround area for wheelchair access and detectable warning surfaces that alert visually impaired individuals of an approach to street crossings and hazardous drop-offs.
The $300,000 improvements were designed by the RTA and will be constructed by a DPW maintenance contractor.
The following street car stops will be upgraded:
• St. Charles Avenue and Napoleon Avenue
• St. Charles Avenue and Louisiana Avenue
• St. Charles Avenue and Jackson Avenue
• Carrollton Avenue and Claiborne Avenue
• St. Charles Avenue and Carrollton Avenue
• Carondelet Street and Canal Street
Construction will take place in two phases, so only part of the line will be shut down at any one time.
Sequence 1: The contractor will begin work on the Napoleon, Louisiana, Jackson Avenue, and the Carondelet and Canal stations. During this time, shuttle bus service will operate from Canal Street to Jena Street, and streetcar service will operate from Claiborne Avenue to Jena Street.
Sequence 2: The contractor will then begin work on the Claiborne and Carrollton station and the St. Charles and Carrollton station. During this time, shuttle bus service will operate from Claiborne Avenue to Short Street, and streetcar service will operate from Canal Street to Short Street.
In order to safely accommodate construction, lane shifts may be in place on the approach to each of the stations; traffic advisories will be issued in advance of each of the above-mentioned sequences.
