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Mayor Helena Moreno Announces New In-House Paving Unit to Accelerate Basic Street Construction
NEW ORLEANS — Today, Mayor Helena Moreno illustrated her commitment to rapidly improving the delivery of basic infrastructure services by announcing a capital budget ordinance allocating $6.25 million for street paving projects.
Using funds identified from the unused portion of bonds from 2019-2024, the city will invest in paving equipment, street maintenance equipment, and a dedicated workforce to perform street repairs.
The Street Maintenance Unit will be the city’s first durable, in-house street, and infrastructure repair group in years. The unit was created as a part of a group of executive actions on Mayor Moreno’s first day and will expedite delivery of “Super Bowl” level infrastructure services across the city.
“As a candidate, I promised Super Bowl level coordination for infrastructure repairs – and as Mayor, we are delivering on that promise with the new in-house paving unit and the allocation of more than $6 million to get workers started on these necessary improvements” Mayor Moreno said. “We like to think of this task force as NOLA taking care of NOLA, as we focus on hiring people from the city to tackle the work that needs to be done.”
The ordinance to be introduced on Thursday, February 12 supports the creation of the street paving unit by defunding $5.8 million worth of projects initially flagged to be put out to bid by a private contractor, allowing that work to be performed in-house by the new pavement crew. With this reallocation of funds, the Department of Public Works will hire 50 employees for a newly formed Street Paving Unit. This gives citizens from the City of New Orleans the opportunity to help fix New Orleans, supporting our efforts to make the place we call home a better place to live.
Additional reallocations include:
- The Broad St. Bridge Delineator Upgrades will be canceled as grant funds will be pursued for $283,500.
- The Downtown Development District cancelled $17,693 for drainage improvements allowing for further support of the street paving team’s creation.
- Finally, a French Quarter project construction estimate came back too high from a contractor, so $144,450 was cancelled allowing for those funds to be added to the street paving unit’s creation.
“Not only are we giving New Orleanians the basic services they deserve when it comes to paving streets quickly and more efficiently; we’re giving citizens of the city jobs to do the work, instead of hiring out of town contractors,” said Director of Public Works, Steve Nelson.
“In recent years, city government has become way too comfortable contracting our basic city services to the best bidder,” said Council President J.P. Morrell. “With the creation of an in-house paving unit, we are bringing city services back into public hands, where accountability, quality, and long-term value matter more than the lowest short-term price.”
"These updates put our infrastructure dollars to work where they matter most,” At-Large Council Member Matthew Willard said. “By investing in skilled workers and essential equipment within the Department of Public Works, we are building a stronger in-house repair team that can ultimately fix streets faster and more efficiently. This approach reduces our reliance on outside contractors, delivers better accountability, and ensures residents across New Orleans see real, tangible improvements to street quality in their neighborhoods.”
"One of my top platforms during my campaign - and now as District A Councilmember - is bringing basic city services and back in-house to reduce our reliance on outside contractors," said District A Councilmember Aimee McCarron. "This in-house paving crew will have more flexibility prioritizing projects, responding to emergencies, and ease the pain for residents awaiting street repaving. I am thrilled Mayor Moreno's administration is continuing to prioritize our internal workforce, and I look forward to rebuilding in-house services to better serve all residents."
“We’re using our capital budget to make a smart investment that pays off for residents,” said District B Councilmember Lesli Harris. “An in-house paving unit means better coordination, lower costs over time, and a more reliable way to deliver basic city services without draining operating funds the City simply doesn’t have.”
“There is real value in the City having the ability to respond to street conditions in an expedited and efficient manner. Establishing an in-house paving unit allows us to deploy resources quickly, address priority needs as they arise and maintain direct accountability for the quality of work performed,” District D Council Member Eugene Green said. “City employees are invested in the long-term condition of our infrastructure and are held to the standards and oversight that come with public service. I strongly support the creation of this in-house paving task force, whose results can be reviewed in real time to ensure we are meeting the City’s most pressing street-paving needs. In this instance, the benefits of public-sector delivery clearly outweigh reliance on private contractors.”
“For District E and communities across the city, this means fewer delays, more efficient use of public dollars, and a stronger focus on maintaining the streets, drainage, and public assets our residents depend on every day,” said District E City Councilman Jason Hughes. “I’m proud to co-sponsor this effort to make our infrastructure response more proactive and results driven.”
The street paving ordinance will be introduced for consideration by the New Orleans City Council on Thursday, February 12. It will be up for a final vote on Thursday, February 26.
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