MAYOR CANTRELL REAFFIRMS EXPECTATIONS OF CONTRACTORS DURING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell this week is reaffirming expectations for contractors working on infrastructure projects for the Department of Public Works (DPW), the Capital Projects Administration, and the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans.
"As you know, we have more than $600M in construction with much more coming down the pipeline. It is incumbent upon us all to work together as we move through this unprecedented amount of infrastructure work in our city. That means finding opportunities for more consistent coordination and communication between all contractors to understand how your individual projects may be impacting the neighborhood in which you are working," Mayor Cantrell wrote in a letter sent to contractors. "That also means being mindful not only of the long-term benefits these improvements will bring, but also the short-term impacts residents and visitors are experiencing on a daily basis that affect their quality of life."
This work is rooted in respect – respecting the neighborhoods in which the City and contractors work and respecting the residents whose quality of life is likely impacted during construction. Mayor Cantrell pointed to recurring issues such as missed deadlines, unclean construction sites and persistently impeded driveways as part of the problems when it comes to ensuring efficient infrastructure work. Mayor Cantrell also encouraged contractors to prevent project delays due to capacity challenges by engaging the City's Office of Workforce Development's JOB1 Business and Career Solutions. She also noted that DPW leadership will be reviewing and issuing revised expectations when it comes to communications and scheduling protocols, traffic and business impacts, and contract requirements, among other issues, in the coming weeks.
[READ: Mayor Cantrell's letter to infrastructure project contractors]
Since May 2018, the City of New Orleans has completed 156 vertical (buildings) and horizontal (roadwork) infrastructure projects with an estimated value of $415.6 million. Between maintenance projects and the Joint Infrastructure Program, the City currently has 69 DPW projects under construction valued at more than $600 million.
# # #
|
