$344K St. Phillip Street DPW Maintenance Project Completed

From the City of New Orleans:

September 2, 2020

Mayor LaToya Cantrell today joined other officials to celebrate the completion of the $344,000 St. Phillip Street Department of Public Works Maintenance Project.

The City bond-funded project covered a one-block stretch of St. Phillip Street that runs through the Artspace Bell School Apartments in the Treme neighborhood, between North Johnson and North Galvez streets. The project required close coordination between the City, the maintenance contractor and Artspace, the owner of the roadway at the time. The street was reconstructed based on the collective ideas proposed by Artspace residents, with the ultimate goal of reopening a once-private street for the public to use. The roadway is in the process of being donated back to the City by the Artspace Bell School Apartments.

“This has been a long haul, and a good time getting here, through the hard work of the community and City Councilmember Jared Brossett (District D), the Department of Public Works, and in partnership with Artspace. I am so excited to return this street back to the community,” said Mayor Cantrell.

[WATCH: St. Phillip Street Ribbon Cutting]

“Between maintenance projects and the Joint Infrastructure Program, we currently have 62 DPW projects under construction valued at nearly $416 million, including the $6.3 million Treme-Lafitte Group A project that began in March, which you can see on St. Phillip Street and across Treme as you’re driving around the neighborhood,” said Ramsey Green, Deputy CAO for Infrastructure. “And between now and the end of year, we are forecasting nearly $585 million worth of infrastructure projects going out to bid.”

Mayor Cantrell was also joined by Councilmember Brossett; Keith LaGrange, Director, Department of Public Works; Daniel Lee, DPW Maintenance Lead; Xavier Chavez Reyes, DPW Maintenance Division Head; and the Rev. John Asare-Dankwah, Pastor of nearby St. Peter Claver Catholic Church.

The project features a new, 14-foot-wide roadway aligned with DPW standards, including a slight “meander” to prevent vehicles from speeding or parking on the street; new sidewalks; and on the south side of a roadway a rollover curb and a 6-foot-wide sidewalk to accommodate the New Orleans Fire Department’s minimum requirement of a 20-foot-wide roadway for firetrucks to access the nearby station. There also will be new signage (one way, no parking, stop sign, do not enter and speed limit).

The City also recognizes maintenance contractors Barriere Construction and Hard Rock Construction for completing this work.

This press release was produced by the City of New Orleans. The views expressed are the author's own.