New Orleans barriers to prevent vehicle attacks were in the process of being replaced
NEW ORLEANS– Seven years ago, New Orleans officials began installing adjustable barriers at intersections in the famed French Quarter to temporarily prevent vehicles from entering the tourist area, where the narrow streets are typically packed with pedestrians every night of the week.
But the steel columns known as bollards were replaced and were not deployed early on New Year’s Day when a motorist rammed a pickup truck. by a crowd of revelerswhich killed at least 15 people.
The project to remove and replace bollards along about eight blocks of bustling Bourbon Street, from St. Ann Street to Canal Street, began on Nov. 18, city documents show. Temporary asphalt patches were applied where the steel columns had been removed, according to the documents.
City officials have not confirmed whether the intersection the truck passed through was actively under construction, nor whether the replacement project created a vulnerability.
Some of the old bollards had “proven to be unreliable and no longer operational,” the city said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “In the meantime, white picket fence barriers operated by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) have been used in these areas to secure the street and regulate vehicular access for safety purposes.”
A day before New Year’s Eve, New Orleans officials issued a traffic advisory on the vehicle barrier replacement project, saying crews would work until 2 p.m. Monday and try to “minimize road closures as much as possible to reduce impact” during the celebration.
“Currently, Bourbon Street is fully open from Canal Street to Toulouse Street,” the city said in its Dec. 30 advisory.
The intersection of Bourbon and Canal is where the pick-up takes place rammed into the crowd. The driver was shot and killed by police and the FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism, authorities said.
If vehicle attacks have increased In recent decades, cities around the world have installed bollards in areas with high pedestrian traffic. New York City has installed similar retractable steel columns around Times Square, City Hall and Wall Street. They are also a common phenomenon in other major cities such as London, Paris and Tokyo.
New Orleans’ bollard system was initially installed beginning in December 2017 as part of a $40 million safety plan and consisted of four sets of barriers placed on either side of Bourbon Street intersections. The inner two columns can be pushed back when unlocked by a ground-level control panel, creating a berth of approximately 4 meters through which vehicles can navigate. NOLA.com reported when construction began.
Aaron Miller, director of the city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said at the time that the bollards would go up each night in accordance with city rules that close parts of the popular French Quarter boulevard to pedestrians only. Otherwise, they would only be used to block intersections, either by city ordinance or during special events, he said.
The barriers were “designed to reduce risk to pedestrians” in an area of the city that he said was “an iconic or symbolic target,” Miller said in December 2017.
There have been proposals over the years to turn much of Bourbon Street into a pedestrian mall and be managed by a team focused on making the street safe, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said Wednesday. He said it is important to look at every aspect of security after the New Year’s Day massacre.
“You can’t prevent something like this when you have a crazy person who wants to wreak havoc and take lives,” Nungesser said. WDSU TV.
Wednesday’s disaster occurred amid the ongoing Bourbon Street Bollard Assessment and Replacement Project, which includes “removing the old bollards, replacing the concrete pavement, building concrete foundations, installing metal sleeves for the new bollards and the re-pouring of the roadway,” according to the city’s statement on Wednesday. . So far, 11 of the 16 pole locations have been replaced, the statement said.
Daily inspections monitor progress and test reports issued today confirm that the required material strength has been achieved.
On December 10, the city posted a photo on social media of a torn-up street in the French Quarter, with two bollards on a pallet. The work should be completed in early February 2025, when New Orleans will host the Super Bowl, city records show.
“The project includes replacing old bollards with new removable stainless steel bollards and repairing sidewalks at several locations,” reads a Department of Public Works document.
In a Nov. 26 update, city officials said work was taking place on both sides of Bourbon Street, including pouring concrete, “without closing intersections to vehicular traffic.”