Mayor Cantrell, City Officials Celebrate Moving New Orleans Bikes Construction on Marigny/French Quarter Network
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today joined other City officials and community leaders to celebrate the latest construction associated with the Moving New Orleans Bikes (MNOB) Program that is adding 75 miles of new low-stress bikeways as part of the City’s efforts to improve roadway safety for all residents.
[WATCH: Ribbon cutting for Moving New Orleans Bikes]
Officials marked the completion of work on Elysian Fields Avenue, between North Peters Street and St. Claude Avenue, which now features protected bike lanes, new crosswalks, reduced crossing distances and modified intersections to improve safety. Overall the City has completed $2 million of the Marigny/French Quarter Transportation Network.
“The Elysian Fields project is an excellent example of my administration’s Complete Streets approach to road projects — laser focused on improving our streets for everyone, whether they are walking, bicycling, driving, or taking transit. We are rethinking our roads and making investments to ensure our residents have safe and affordable transportation options to access jobs, school and community amenities,” said Mayor Cantrell.
[WATCH: Elysian Fields Avenue from a bicyclist's perspective]
Work includes:
- Repaving and drainage repairs
- Adding protected bike lanes or bicycle boulevards
- Improving access to bus stops
- Installing marked crosswalks
- Improving intersection geometry and sight distances
The City expects to complete the remainder of the Marigny/French Quarter Transportation Network on Royal in the coming months. The Elysian Fields Avenue project is one of four corridors recently addressed in the Faubourg Marigny and French Quarter area under the Moving New Orleans Bikes program. Projects on Franklin Avenue, North Peters Street and Royal Street have repaired road surfaces, added crosswalks and curb ramps, improved bikeway connections, and reduced high-speed traffic. About 14 miles of roads have been completed or are under construction as part of MNOB, with upwards of 50 additional miles starting construction in 2021.
Later this year, construction will begin on various corridors in Central City, the Lower Garden District, the Central Business District, Mid-City, the 7th Ward, and other neighborhoods. Ongoing community engagement will take place throughout the year as additional roadways advance into conceptual design and construction. Details on ongoing and future projects will continue to be found at www.nola.gov/transportation/moving-new-orleans-bikes.
“This administration had recognized that in the past, Algiers had not been a priority regarding transportation options and infrastructure improvements, which is why I was glad when the first installment of the Moving New Orleans bike network began in Algiers, connecting residents to more neighborhoods and downtown. I'm excited that more protected bike lanes are expanding to other areas of our city, such as the Marigny and Gentilly. This is a win for our residents, providing them transportation links to jobs, schools, and more opportunities,” said Kristin Gisleson Palmer, City Councilmember for District C and Chair of the Transportation Committee.
These projects illustrate the comprehensive approach to the City's transportation network expansion. This has included engaging the community from start to finish, with about 20 public meetings during various phases of the decision-making process to incorporate feedback and build consensus. It also has included partnering with community organizations like the Complete Streets Coalition to engage with residents at a grassroots level. Finally, it's been about ensuring the project addresses a broad range of needs and City goals: addressing pavement and sidewalk quality issues; improving overall safety and quality of life; connecting existing bikeways; creating more comfortable places to walk, bike, drive and use transit; and addressing inequities by promoting a healthy lifestyle.
“Building improved cycling infrastructure is critical to the safety of our residents and visitors and improves accessibility to neighborhoods and businesses,” said Ramsey Green, Deputy CAO for Infrastructure. “While branded as Moving New Orleans Bikes, these projects are truly multi-modal in their approach to improving the safety and functionality of our roadways. Our project team, led by Jennifer Ruley from DPW, has done a fantastic job engaging the community, coordinating programs, and delivering high-quality projects that all New Orleanians can take pride in as they navigate the City."
Overall, the City has about 70 projects valued at $480 million going on around New Orleans.
“This progress in building complete streets and good bike infrastructure benefits everyone — whether biking, driving, walking or taking the bus, and as a neighbor, I've seen how well the new Elysian Fields works for everyone. The City's process of planning, designing and building these projects has been impressive — from crunching the data to focus on safety and equity and connections to ensuring the community is engaged and heard at every step. Bike Easy and the New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition are proud to support Mayor Cantrell's 'Moving New Orleans' efforts. The need and the deep community desire for these health, equity, economic, environmental and quality-of-life improvements are clear. Together, we're improving transportation and bringing real benefits to the people of New Orleans,” said Dan Favre, Executive Director of Bike Easy and Executive Committee member of the Complete Streets Coalition.
Mayor Cantrell was also joined by Laura Bryan, Director, Mayor's Office of Transportation, and Allen Johnson of the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association.
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