NEW ORLEANS — The street most of us take to watch the Saints at the Dome has been the site of some road construction chaos that started in May. Poydras Street can be frustrating on a regular weekday, just imagine adding in game-day traffic!
The city says the work will continue for months, but some businesses say they've had enough.
Uneven roadway and a sea of orange traffic cones, this is Poydras Street. According to New Orleanians who work on the major thoroughfare in the CBD, street work has been going on for weeks.
The Saints' only home preseason game is Sunday, Laura Mullen says she's concerned about football traffic, she said, "You just never know which streets are going to be closed, the best way to get to your office, on time, it's just very frustrating. Very, very frustrating."
She went on to say, "I'm a Saints season ticket holder and I'm just trying to figure out the best way to get downtown for the games, get there on time."
According to the city:
Poydras (S. Claiborne to S. Liberty)
Scope: Roadway removal and replacement, re-striping, sidewalk repairs, installation of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramps, and driveway apron repairs
Lakebound: All street work and sidewalk repairs are substantially complete. Crews are currently removing and replacing the turning lanes at Clara St. and working on a small section of the parking lane at 1515 Poydras St.
Riverbound: Crews are working in the left travel and turning lanes between Claiborne and Lasalle. Where possible, two lanes of traffic have been reopened. This week, crews continued working at the intersection of Poydras and Lasalle, where the Sewerage and Water Board (SWB) recently repaired a 36-inch waterline.
All work, excluding roadway striping in both the riverbound and lakebound directions, is set to be completed by the end of next week, with traffic fully reopened by then.
Business owners say Regardless of completion dates the work has caused problems. Tess Gonzales from Daisy Mae's, Southern Fried Chicken & Breakfast, said, "Business has probably slowed down 25-35 percen."
She went on to say, "Summer is particularly slow anyway, so you add this to it." Surveillance from inside the restaurant Tuesday morning shows just a few customers inside. Gonzales says road work has deterred customers. "If they're not on foot traffic they don't come in, no one is going to drive here with the traffic the way it is."
She says during football season people come in to eat before and after games, she said, "COVID was bad for the city, it took a long time to recover, we finally started to recover, now we have the road construction, no one wants to go through all that again."
The city says all work on Poydras will be finished by October.
Other work and schedules according to the city include:
Poydras (S. Liberty to Convention Center Blvd.)
Scope: Patching, milling, and resurfacing the street, re-striping, sidewalk repairs, installation of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramps where needed, and driveway apron repairs
Daytime Operations: Roadway patching is steadily progressing during the day, with two lanes of traffic kept open. To minimize traffic disruptions, crews will focus on the lakebound lanes during morning rush hour and the riverbound lanes during evening rush hour whenever possible. We are working closely with the contractor to ensure that all barricades and cones are removed at the end of each day, fully reopening the street to traffic.
Nighttime Operations: Milling and overlay work continues from Monday through Friday, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Crews have completed milling the inside and middle travel lanes in both directions and will begin paving the inside travel lane tonight. Next week, crews will continue paving the left travel lane.
Julia (Convention Center Blvd to Loyola)
Scope: Roadway removal and replacement, re-striping, sidewalk repairs, installation of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramps, and driveway apron repairs
Crews have completed repairs in the right travel lane. This week at 933 Julia, Entergy finished underground utility work in the sidewalk, and the city formed the sidewalk in preparation for a concrete pour next week. The remaining work includes street repairs in the left lanes from Camp St. to Loyola Ave. and some minor sidewalk repairs.
All work is scheduled to be completed in September.
Julia and Howard Extensions
Scope: Patching, milling, and resurfacing the street, and various sidewalk repairs
Work is substantially complete. The Union Passenger Terminal (UPT) will stripe the roadway at this location.
Girod (Loyola to S. Liberty)
Scope: Patching, milling, and resurfacing the street, re-striping, and various sidewalk repairs
Street repairs are progressing well. Asphalt work is completed, and crews are currently restoring and replacing concrete panels. Sidewalk repairs are underway as well. Please note that access to the parking garage will be maintained throughout the construction period.
By Friday, August 23, ahead of the Saints home game, the site will be cleared and reopened to vehicular traffic where possible. Any areas with ongoing sidewalk repairs will be safely secured for pedestrian traffic.
North Rampart, Iberville, Burgundy and Canal Streets as part of the Hard Rock Hotel collapse site
Scope: Waterline and drainage installation, along with pavement and sidewalk restoration at various locations
Iberville: Waterline installation is ongoing, with the street fully closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Sidewalks and paving work are also taking place at various locations along the block. The block is accessible to local traffic only.
Burgundy: Crews are continuing waterline work at the intersection of Burgundy and Iberville and are expected to reopen the intersection within the next two weeks. Milling and overlay work will follow.
Canal: No work is currently taking place. A full waterline replacement is scheduled on the sidewalk, followed by milling, overlay, and sidewalk repairs.
North Rampart: No current work as Entergy Gas is on-site completing repairs. City crews will begin waterline work afterward.