NEW ORLEANS — Endymion and Zulu have both changed their traditional parade routes to avoid the Hard Rock collapse site at the corner of Canal and Rampart Streets.
During a press conference Monday, Endymion President Don Kelly said the krewe was happy the new route will stay in Mid-City.
"We're able to parade where we want to parade," Kelly said. "We have a few glitches we have to work through, but I think the entire 3,200 member krewe is very excited we're able to be in mid-city, where we want to be.”
Kelly told reporters Endymion would be hiring deputies from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office to provide security where the parade beings, in Mid-City
"(The JPSO deputies) were very excited to help us and to help the New Orleans Police Department," Kelly said.
According to City Officials, Endymion will still start at City Park and Orleans Avenue before:
- Proceed down Orleans Avenue
- Right on North Carrollton Avenue
- Left on Canal Street
- Right on Elk Place
- Continue onto Loyola Avenue
- Left on Poydras Street
- Right on St. Charles Avenue
- Left on Julia Street
- Right on Convention Center Boulevard
- END: Convention Center
Along with the new route, Endymion will bring in additional security from surrounding agencies to cover the Mid-City route.
"After two tragic incidents in the last three years near the Mid-City route, the City took a hard look at the finite public safety resources that manage three separate parade routes on the Saturday before Mardi Gras, by far the busiest day of the season," a statement from the City of New Orleans said. "After bringing concerns to the Krewe of Endymion, Krewe leadership has agreed to provide additional detailed law enforcement officers from neighboring agencies on parade day."
RELATED: Mardi Gras 2020 Parade Schedule
Zulu is also changing their parade route this year to avoid the Hard Rock collapse site.
This year, the parade will start at its traditional spot on Jackson Avenue before:
- Proceed down Jackson Street
- Left on St. Charles Avenue
- Left on Poydras Street
- Right on Loyola Street
- Continue onto Elk Place
- Continue onto Basin Street
- Continue onto Orleans Avenue
- END: Orleans Avenue and North Broad Street
Again, this change is to avoid the evacuation zone around the collapsed Hard Rock Hotel construction site.
The unfinished hotel at the corner of Canal and Rampart streets partially collapsed Oct. 12, 2019, killing three people and injuring dozens more. The bodies of two workers, 63-year-old Jose Ponce Arreola and 36-year-old Quinnyon Wimberly, are trapped inside and cannot be recovered safely ahead of the planned demolition.
The latest plan for the Hard Rock's demolition is to implode what's left of the building in mid-to-late March, after Carnival season, but before Hurricane season. The ensuing cleanup is estimated to take two-to-three months.
This is a developing story. Stick with Eyewitness news for the latest information.
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