NEW ORLEANS — A busy section of Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans is getting a safety facelift.
Work began this week on a project to reconfigure traffic lanes and enhance pedestrian walkways from Canal Boulevard to Robert E. Lee Boulevard.
A study conducted by the levee district, showed more than 40 percent of drivers using that 4-lane stretch of Lakeshore were speeding.
“We received a number of citizen concerns over the last few years and through our own observations, that there were definitely safety concerns for pedestrians in particular in this area," Derek Boese, SLFPA-East CAO, said.
“There are some people that definitely exceed the speed limit here, unfortunately we’ve even seen on those traffic counts speeds as high as 80 miles an hour going around this curve which is incredibly unsafe with so many people."
The levee district is hoping to slow down traffic with a new lane configuration and other safety enhancements.
When the project is completed in mid-July, there will be one lane in each direction for cars, a turning lane in the middle and a dedicated bike lane.
There will also be new speed humps that serve as elevated crosswalks for pedestrians.
“The combination of narrowing traffic to one lane and then having that dedicated series of additional pedestrian crossings and the speed humps should really make things a lot safer for people as they enjoy Lakeshore Drive and the restaurants and the area,” Boese said.
Lakeshore Drive will also be resurfaced as part of the project.
One lane is expected to remain open in each direction while work is underway.
“This section is about due for a mill and overlay or repaving,” Boese said. “So, we’re combining that with this particular project to do it all at once.”
The total cost of the project is $1.5 million.