Richard Thomas told a WDSU town hall meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12, that families and shoppers need room to move along North Broad Street in New Orleans. The Department of Transportation discussed a road improvement project that would repave the corridor, add turning lanes and improve traffic signals.
North Broad Street in New Orleans
The Department of Transportation said the project would stretch from Lafitte Avenue to France Road. It will go out to bidding next year, which means the work is still in the planning stage and has not yet moved into construction.
Thomas said the street already carries steady daily foot traffic. “We have a high traffic of children going to school, seniors walking the street, going to Walgreens, they have to be able to access the local stores,” he said at the meeting.
Department of Transportation plans
The road work would change how drivers enter and leave the corridor by adding turning lanes and improved traffic signals. For people who live along the street or use the businesses there, the practical issue is keeping access open while the roadway is being rebuilt.
Some attendees raised safety concerns around the work site, putting that access question at the center of the discussion. The project is moving toward the bidding stage next year, and residents are now left waiting to see how the Department of Transportation will handle safety, access and traffic flow along the full stretch between Lafitte Avenue and France Road.
