NEW ORLEANS – The City of New Orleans in partnership with StayLocal, released a Road Construction Toolkit for New Orleans Businesses. The toolkit features important contact information, practical tips and technical assistance so businesses can continue to thrive during road construction. At this time, the City is gearing up a $2.4 billion capital improvement program to repair and rebuild 400 miles of roads and subsurface infrastructure.
Download the Road Construction Toolkit here
“The City and Sewerage and Water Board are coordinating like never before on the most robust infrastructure improvement program New Orleans has seen in a generation,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “With more than 200 projects scheduled totaling 400 miles of roadway and subsurface infrastructure improvements on the way, every neighborhood in our city will feel the positive impact once construction is complete. This Road Construction Tookit will serve as a valuable resource to help local businesses continue to thrive during the construction process.”
StayLocal is an independent business organization with a mission to create an environment where local businesses can thrive through research, education and advocacy. In November 2015, the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development began a partnership with StayLocal to support businesses in corridors affected by road construction.
Dana Eness, Executive Director of the Urban Conservancy and the StayLocal initiative said, “While road construction can be hard on small businesses, the maintenance and repairs can be good for your company in the end. Whether you’re a seasoned business owner or the new shop on the block, we hope this guide provides some new ideas and helpful resources. We look forward to continuing to work side-by-side with our local businesses to ensure their success.”
Rebecca Conwell, Senior Advisor to the Mayor for Economic Development said, “We hope that businesses will take advantage of this great online resource. Our goal is to help business owners get through the short-term impacts of the construction projects as we make this major down payment on our city’s future.”
OTHER CONSTRUCTION RESOURCES AVAILABLE
In October, the City of New Orleans launched a revamped roadwork.nola.gov online tool, allowing residents to search by their address to get block-by-block details on planned, active and completed infrastructure improvements across the city. The revamped roadwork.nola.gov web site shows ongoing coordination on road, water, sewer and drainage construction by the City’s Department of Public Works (DPW) and Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWB). The City will update projects bi-monthly, providing residents with the most accurate view of infrastructure improvements occurring across New Orleans.
UNPRECEDENTED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
The City and Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans are working together to implement an unprecedented program to restore the City’s damaged infrastructure, City reps said. Using a combination of local and Federal funds, the $2.4 billion program will be the most comprehensive that the region has seen in a generation. Work will include more than 200 individual projects and consist of repairing all or portions of about 400 miles of roadway. There will be several types of construction: Full Depth Reconstruction; Patch, Mill and Overlay; Patch Concrete; Incidental Road Repairs; Bridges; Non-Paving Incidentals and Streetscapes. Work will begin in February 2017.
HISTORIC INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM UNDERWAY
Through the rate increase approved by New Orleans City Council in 2012, bond rating upgrades for sewer and water, and the recent bond sale, SWB’s capital improvement program is funded for the first time in 25 years. This work is being paired with the City’s Capital Improvement Program, combining to create one of the largest infrastructure improvement efforts in the history of New Orleans.
