New Orleans’ SuperFail

Downtown is being spruced up for the Super Bowl, but in neglected neighborhoods, roads remain unpaved.

By Andy Kopsa

The Super Bowl is coming to New Orleans, the first to be held in the Crescent City since it was ripped apart by Hurricane Katrina and the catastrophic failure of the levees. Come February 3, 2013, the Superdome—now the Mercedes-Benz Superdome—will [RETURN TO ARTICLE]

  • Reader Comments

    Andy

    I agree with your frustration of the lack of basic infrastructure in areas hit by these disasters. The press release that you reference also states:

    “When it rains in our neighborhood in the Lower 9th Ward, streets can quickly flood in less than an hour when the rain is heavy. It’s dangerous to drive in, hard on the roads and erodes the ground, among other negative effects…After holding up admirably to both regular traffic and the construction traffic in our neighborhood, the City of New Orleans is pouring its first ever pervious roads throughout the Make It Right neighborhood”.

    This is good news but it does not explain why it took seven years to happen. That said, an event like the Super Bowl should bring attention and much needed funds to the City of New Orleans and although it seems that it has taken an unacceptable amount of time to accomplish, these basic needs may finally be met. Hopefully other cities that experience such disasters will learn from organizations like Make It Right and be able to use these sustainable construction methods in a post-haste manner.

    Dale Fisher
    Executive Director
    National Pervious Concrete Pavement Association

    Posted by Dale on Jan 16, 2013 at 7:26 PM

    lowernine.org is still there, still working hard to help homeowners return.  It’s a small organization with a big heart.  Go to their site.  Donate.  It will help.

    Posted by JohnInTucson on Jan 22, 2013 at 6:23 PM