NEW ORLEANS (AP) — 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 teeming with pedestrians every night.
But the steel columns known as bollards were in the process of being replaced and were not engaged early on New Year’s Day when a motorist rammed a pickup truck through a crowd of revelers, killing at least 15 people.
The project to remove and replace the bollards along about eight blocks of bustling Bourbon Street, from St. Ann Street to Canal Street, began Nov. 18, city records show. Temporary asphalt patches were installed in the spots where the steel columns were removed, according to the documents.
City officials have not confirmed whether the intersection the truck sped through was actively under construction or said if the replacement project created a vulnerability.
ADVERTISEMENT
Some of the old bollards had “proved unreliable and have been non-operational,” the city said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “In the interim, white gate barriers have been used in these areas, managed by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) to secure the street and regulate vehicle access for safety purposes.”
