Traffic Advisory: Four-Week Temporary Closure of Royal/Chartres Intersection for Utility Upgrades

On Monday, April 26, weather permitting, the City of New Orleans, Department of Public Works will close the intersection of Conti and Royal streets to accommodate utility upgrades. Public safety is our priority; signage and flaggers will be in place to direct vehicular and pedestrian traffic respectively. Businesses in the area are being notified about the closure this week.

This work is part of the $4.3 million Conti Full-Depth Reconstruction Project, which calls for removing and replacing the existing pavement, replacing and upsizing the existing drain lines and catch basins, replacing the existing water lines, repairing and/or replacing the existing sewer lines, replacing the existing low pressure gas lines with high pressure gas lines, replacing and/or repairing the existing underground electrical duct banks, replacing sidewalks and adding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps at intersections and a mid-block crossing at Exchange Place, as well as bollards the length of the block on the Esplanade side/4th Circuit Supreme Court.

Crews are working up to seven days each week from 8 a.m. until sunset. Once construction is completed in the 700 block of Conti roadway (anticipated in June 2021), the fence will be removed, and work will begin on the adjacent sidewalks. When all construction has been completed in the 700 block and Entergy Gas/Entergy Electric crews have wrapped up their upgrades in the 600 block of Conti Street, Hard Rock crews will shift their operations into the 600 block roadway between Royal and Chartres streets.

• Current Full Roadway Closure: 700 block of Conti Street is closed to vehicular traffic for the duration of the project. Commuters are advised to detour from Bourbon Street onto Toulouse Street and then onto Royal Street.
• Workday Closure: 600 block of Conti Street is being intermittently closed to vehicular traffic daily while Entergy Gas and Entergy Electric crews are upgrading their utilities. Intermittent closures will continue through the duration of the project. During the day, commuters are advised to detour from Bourbon Street onto Toulouse Street and then onto Decatur Street. The 600 block will reopen to vehicular traffic each night.

The project, which was designed by Mott McDonald, LLC and is being constructed by Hard Rock Construction, LLC is anticipated to run through winter 2021 (approximately four months per block). Project partners include Entergy Electric, Entergy Gas, Cox Communications and AT&T.

Please visit www.roadwork.nola.gov for more information. Questions about this project or RoadworkNOLA should be directed to 504.658.ROAD (7623) or roadwork@nola.gov.