MAYOR CANTRELL JOINS OFFICIALS, COMMUNITY LEADERS TO CELEBRATE COMPLETION OF $13M READ BLVD. EAST ROADWORK PROJECTS
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today joined a group of elected officials, school leaders and community leaders to celebrate the completion of all but a handful of the Read Boulevard East (Read East) roadwork improvements. Mayor Cantrell marked completion of Read East Group B, Group C, and Group D projects – which, when combined, represent $13 million worth of infrastructure investments as part of the Department of Public Works and the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans' Joint Infrastructure Program.
“The City is showing that it can scale up and rapidly accelerate projects largely funded by Federal dollars and voter-approved bond money directly targeted to improve the quality of life of our residents. We know what it looks like to have a system in place to put money to work and not have it stalled by bureaucracy. We also appreciate the patience our residents have shown as we’ve worked through the logistical challenges of meeting a critical timeline to spend down this funding,” said Mayor Cantrell.
[WATCH: Ribbon cutting for Read East B, C, D]
“Last year and despite unprecedented challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, a massive economic downturn, as well as eight storms that placed New Orleans in the cone of uncertainty, our infrastructure program kept going,” said Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Infrastructure Ramsey Green. “And as a result, there is an extraordinary amount of work underway across the city, more than 75 roadwork projects alone, valued at nearly $550 million. As you can imagine, this quick ramp-up in construction has come with challenges and hardship for our residents across the city. We all have a shared goal, which is to safely upgrade our infrastructure, make us more resilient and improve the overall quality of life. So, we ask for your continued patience as we work through these challenges and get more and more projects completed.”
The Read East Groups B, C and D are three of the eight Department of Public Works/Sewerage and Water Board Joint Infrastructure, FEMA-funded projects in this neighborhood. The Read East projects, combined with others in the area, surround such New Orleans East gems as NORD’s Joe Brown Park and DiBenedetto Playground, the Louisiana Nature Center, and Einstein Charter’s Sherwood Forest School.
The scope of work varied block by block and project by project, but includes the following:
- Paved roadways from curb-to-curb in either asphalt or concrete
- New concrete where portions were damaged
- Repaired sidewalks and driveway aprons
- ADA-compliant curb ramps at intersections
- Replaced or repaired damaged underground water, sewer and/or drainage lines
The Department of Public Works and RoadWorkNOLA team members for this project were:
- Project Manager Alan Weber
- Construction Manager Billy Trung
- Outreach Specialist Nakeila Polk
The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans was responsible for providing $2.6 million in these three projects as part of the Joint Infrastructure Program.
Contractors for the project included:
Designers and construction managers:
- Read Boulevard East B: Evans-Graves Engineers, Inc.;
- Read Boulevard East C: Barowka and Bonura Engineers and Consultants, LLC; and
- Read Boulevard East D: EJES Inc.
Construction contractors:
- Read East B & D: Beverly Construction
- Read Boulevard East C: Palmisano Construction
Work was certified complete in January/February 2021.
Here’s the cost breakdown of the work:
- Read Boulevard East B: (FEMA-funded) DPW $3.6 million, SWBNO $954,000
- Read Boulevard East C: (FEMA-funded) DPW $3.3 million, SWBNO $968,000
- Read Boulevard East D: (FEMA-funded) DPW $3.3 million, SWBNO $998,000
[LEARN MORE: Read about the Read East B, C, D projects here: https://roadwork.nola.gov/projects/]
At the beginning of the Cantrell Administration, less than 1% of the JIRR funds had been spent. To date, the City has been reimbursed approximately $169 million, which is 12% of the City’s settlement.
Infrastructure projects are continuing across the City. Since May 2018, the City has completed 22 projects in District E alone, which equates to $81 million. There are 15 projects under construction in District E now, which equates to $126 million. In the next 60 days, the City will have more than $100M worth of Joint Infrastructure projects going out to bid.
“FEMA continues to partner with the State and the City of New Orleans on projects that enhance the quality of life for New Orleans residents,” said Eddie Williams, Public Assistance Infrastructure Branch Supervisor with the FEMA Louisiana Integration and Recovery Office (LIRO). “Projects like these not only benefit residents but it also serves as another step towards building a more resilient New Orleans.”
“These projects are a great example of a responsible government delivering needed infrastructure projects to the New Orleans East community,” said Sen. Joseph Bouie, Jr., District 3.
“These projects are a critical step forward in addressing the infrastructure needs of New Orleans East, and a strong indicator of the progress ahead,” said Rep. Jason Hughes, District 100.
“We are excited to reach the conclusion of these three roadwork projects, totaling over $13 million in infrastructure investments in the Pressburg East and Sherwood Forest neighborhoods of District E. We thank the Mayor, DPW, and the Sewerage and Water Board for their commitment to and execution of these projects that will improve the quality of life in these neighborhoods by providing better streets and sidewalks for residents to walk, bike, and drive on,” said Cyndi Nguyen, City Councilmember, District E.
“We are thrilled to be a part of this major project that improves the quality of life for the residents in this area. With so many major projects just like this one taking place throughout New Orleans, I hope this ribbon cutting serves as a welcome sign for those dealing with the necessary inconvenience of construction that better times are ahead. I can’t thank Mayor Cantrell and the Department of Public Works enough for their leadership,” said Ghassan Korban, Executive Director, Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans.
“Today's ribbon cutting of the Read Boulevard East Group roadworks project is vital to moving our City forward and investing in the quality of life of our residents. The projects unveiled today will significantly improve the flow of traffic and provide better accessibility to NORD facilities,” said Larry Barabino, Jr., CEO for NORD.
“Einstein Charter Schools truly appreciates the support and investment from Mayor Cantrell and City officials! Our students, their families and the East deserve well-paved streets. I'm looking forward to the impact Mayor Cantrell and her team will to continue to have on the residents of New Orleans East,” said Ashley Daniels, CEO, Einstein Charter Schools.
“At Sherwood Forest we do believe that we are teaching and molding the future. The smoothed roads help us to focus on educating our babies, because we know their ability to get to school safely has increased. We are grateful that the Mayor and the City have invested in our community,” said Amy Henley, Principal, Sherwood Forest School.
Mayor Cantrell was also joined by Arthur Busby, President of the Edgelake Neighborhood Association, and Wilfred Norris of Community Legion.
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