NEW ORLEANS — If you live or work in New Orleans, then you probably know several road construction sites that are affecting parking and commutes.
One group of neighbors in Central City is raising concerns about ongoing construction along their street and its potential impact during emergencies. They’re worried about a joint infrastructure project managed by the City of New Orleans near the intersection of Loyola Avenue and First street.
Between rounds of heavy rain and the constant flow of water from pipes and hydrants, Loretta Hutton says it feels like there’s a moat outside her home.
“It’s circling me all around my house,” Hutton said.
Fellow neighbor Gwendolyn Smith says the road work started in February, but they say it’s been spotty ever since.
“If it really rains hard, it’s like a little river out here. We have mosquitoes, we have termites, it stays damp,” Smith said.
We reached out to the City of New Orleans about the project. A spokesperson for Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s office says it’s part of a $9 million reconstruction project that involves rebuilding roads and underground infrastructure.
According to the spokesperson, drainage near Loyola and First has been upsized and the sewer line has been replaced. Crews are now waiting to connect new water lines to the existing water supply, which they anticipate doing in the next 30 days -- if the weather cooperates.
Hutton and Smith say even on clear days, they haven’t seen much work done.
“It seems like they’re hopscotching. They build, they dig and then they go somewhere else,” Hutton said.
“Nobody gave us a definite answer, when it would be complete," Smith said. "Don’t get us wrong, it’s not the idea that we don’t want this done, but we don’t want to be put off the way we’re being put off."
As much of an eye sore and nuisance as road work is, neighbors say what really concerns them are emergency situations and what happens on the road when vehicles need access.
Another neighbor sent us Ring video of EMS responding to a call near Loyola and First last Friday. In it, you can see the ambulance had to park around the corner from a blue home where workers had to respond. A first responder eventually picks up the patient and then carries her to the ambulance.
The elderly woman is said to be OK, but Gwendolyn Smith worries about herself and the aging sister she’s caring for in their home.
“I worry that something may happen to me and my sister and nobody can really get to us,” Smith said.
“Emergency vehicles are going to have a problem because of those big sinkholes,” Hutton said.
With more than 400 miles of roads and infrastructure being rebuilt in New Orleans, you don’t have to look far to find frustrations over detours and delays.
In Hutton’s and Smith’s neighborhood, they say their worries aren’t strictly about the road work being an inconvenience, but rather, a potential about danger to their health and safety.