Fire ants are chewing up New Orleans traffic lights

The big picture: Steve Nelson, the deputy CAO for infrastructure, says his overarching goal for the Department of Public Works is to have zero fatalities on city streets.

• Last year, there were 52, with many coming from vehicles hitting pedestrians.
• There have been 25 deaths so far this year, he says.
• August was the first month in 10 years with no fatalities.

Zoom in: Nelson says he's partnered with the New Orleans Police Department and the Health Department to get to the root causes.

• NOPD has stepped up its traffic enforcement this year and partially credits the additional patrols to the 24% year-to-date decline in fatalities.
• On Monday, Nelson told the City Council about some of the infrastructure issues the department is tackling to make the roads safer.

🚦Flashing streetlights: Many of the city's traffic lights flashed when it rained or immediately afterward. Nelson says his team has been drilling down on causes this year and fixing them.

• In one case, they found that fire ants were eating the electrical tape at an intersection on Nashville Avenue, compromising the wires.

🎨 Road striping: This will be a big focus for 2027, Nelson says. The department will prioritize areas where vehicles, pedestrians and bikes frequently interact.

• He wants to repaint crosswalks and restripe the center lines, lane lines and white edges, among other things.

🚧 Missing street signs: It's taking at least two years to replace missing street signs. DPW is working to shorten the timeline.

🕳️ Smoother streets: DPW is speeding up paving through an in-house crew. Nelson says they are also working with Sewerage and Water Board to improve communication so roads aren't left unpaved.

The intrigue: An idea from City Council President JP Morrell that "kinda makes me wanna throw up in my mouth a little bit": Use AI to make the reporting process easier.

• Find a way for residents to be able to send in a quick photo and use AI to read the metadata and fill out a work order, he says.

Other budget highlights

State of play: I sat through three hours of city budget updates Monday from the city so you wouldn't have to. The highlights:

🐀 High rats: Remember when NOPD superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the rats were getting high? "I know that that's not happening anymore" because of the cleanup efforts, says council budget chair Lesli Harris.

🏢 New City Hall: The capital plan includes a $349.49 million request for a new City Hall, but Morrell says that number is likely "not even adequate."

🏖️ Lincoln Beach: The parking lot construction, which is now considered phase 1, is on track to start this year. It's been delayed for years.

🚁 Drones: The city wants to use drones to help with roof inspections on public buildings.

🪦 Cemetery tours: Tours have been booked to capacity. The city makes about $400 per day from them.

🤨 State vs. city: About 170 of the city's signalized intersections are on state routes, but the city is responsible for maintaining them. The city also cuts grass along state routes.

• Talks are ongoing about the state sharing a larger portion of the cost.

👥 Hiring: About 250 people applied for the 50 paving openings.

What's next: Budget hearings continue for the rest of the month. They are open to the public. See the schedule.