Scott Satchfield / Eyewitness News
NEW ORLEANS -- Pascal's Manale has served up oysters and other delights on Napoleon Avenue for 99 years now.
Along the way, the staff has seen water rising just outside the restaurant numerous times.
"If it rains very hard for a long time, we've had flash flooding here," said owner Bob DeFelice.
But a new $55 million drainage project aims to cut down on the problem.
Thursday, surveyors scouted the area, and shortly after Mardi Gras crews will begin the major work, installing a new canal underneath the neutral ground from Claiborne to Carondelet.
Army Corps officials said it'll take up to three years to complete.
"To have this added capacity is much needed and hopefully will provide a great improvement to the area," said project manager Lori Wingate.
But the work could cause some disruptions for residents and businesses, especially when it comes to access.
"We're just kind of worried on the timing," DeFelice said. "Next year we're hosting the Super Bowl. It's also going to coincide with our 100-year anniversary here as a business."
However, officials said a goal is to keep one lane open in each direction along Napoleon for the entirety of the project.
Another concern, some said, is a possible impact from all the heavy equipment that'll be operating along Napoleon.
Some residents in the Broadmoor area filed suit after the first phase of the project, claiming it caused structural damage to their homes.
But officials said equipment improvements this time around should make a difference.
"We look to reduce the noise impacts and the vibration impacts on the neighborhood with a silent piler we're using," Wingate said.
Meanwhile, for homeowners like George Saucier, the rewards will be worth any headaches.
"I think it will definitely eliminate a lot of fears, not so much for the hurricanes, but for these thunderstorms we have," he said.
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This story was developed with our partners the Uptown Messenger. For more, click here.
