New Orleans delays Lafitte Greenway expansion, other projects
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The Lafitte Greenway expansion from Alexander Street to Canal Street is on hold. Photo: Bryan Tarnowski/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Lafitte Greenway expansion is on hold after New Orleans officials cut $35 million for infrastructure projects due to the city's fiscal crisis.
Why it matters: The cut further delays the expansion along with other long-awaited neighborhood improvements as the city tries to shore up its finances.
The big picture: Delaying the Greenway expansion saves about $429,000, a city spreadsheet shows.
- The city also delayed a walking path on Peoples Avenue ($300,000), the Hollygrove Greenline Trail ($140,000) and restoration efforts for the Carver-Penn baseball field ($75,000).
- Other green space and cemetery restoration projects were delayed, along with a $1 million plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings.
- The projects are just delayed, not canceled, public works director Steve Nelson told the City Council recently. "It's still painful."
Zoom in: The measure is necessary to ensure the city is "fiscally stable," Nelson added.
- The $35 million will be reallocated from 2026 bonds and converted to cash, he said.
- "This is part of the challenging reality that we face in order to meet our general fund obligations," he said.
By the numbers: Some of the bigger cuts include…
- Tullis Drive ($5 million). The project will advance in phases instead.
- Holiday Drive at General De Gaulle Drive ($4 million). Construction funds aren't needed until 2028.
- Uptown quiet zones ($1.1 million). Construction is delayed.
- Old VA hospital building renovations ($1.3 million). The city says a federal grant for this project was canceled.
Zoom in: Several of the cuts are because the scope came in lower than the original budget, the spreadsheet shows.
- Example: The scope for North Miro Street construction, from Elysian Fields to Almonaster Avenue, came in $4 million under budget.
- The same was true for Fats Domino Avenue ($3 million), Lake Forest Boulevard ($2.5 million) and Bienville Avenue ($1.5 million), the data shows.
Catch up quick: The Moreno administration inherited a fiscal crisis and has furloughed employees, cut programs and borrowed money to keep the city running.
- Mayor Helena Moreno initially sought to get approval from the state for another loan, but withdrew the request amid a tense political climate.
- The infrastructure cuts were announced after that as leaders look to find more than $100 million in savings.
What's next: Moreno says she has already begun touring the city and meeting with residents in an effort to shape priorities for her budget proposal, which she'll present in October.