Mayor LaToya Cantrell recently joined a group of elected officials, school and community leaders to celebrate the completion of all but a handful of the Read East Group B, Group C, and Group D projects.  When combined, these projects represent $13M worth of infrastructure investments as part of the Department of Public Works and the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans' Joint Infrastructure Program.

“The City is showing that it can scale up and rapidly accelerate projects largely funded by federal dollars and voter-approved bond money directly targeted to improve the quality of life of our residents. We know what it looks like to have a system in place to put money to work and not have it stalled by bureaucracy. We also appreciate the patience our residents have shown as we’ve worked through the logistical challenges of meeting a critical timeline to spend down this funding,” said Mayor Cantrell.

[WATCH: Ribbon cutting for Read East B, C, D]

The Read East Groups B, C and D are three of the eight Department of Public Works/Sewerage and Water Board Joint Infrastructure, FEMA-funded projects in this neighborhood. The Read East projects, combined with others in the area, surround such New Orleans East gems as NORD’s Joe Brown Park and DiBenedetto Playground, the Louisiana Nature Center, and Einstein Charter’s Sherwood Forest School.

The scope of work varied block by block and project by project, but includes the following:

• Paved roadways from curb-to-curb in either asphalt or concrete;
• New concrete where portions were damaged;
• Repaired sidewalks and driveway aprons;
• ADA-compliant curb ramps at intersections; and
• Replaced or repaired damaged underground water, sewer and drainage lines.

Here’s the cost breakdown of the work:

• Read Boulevard East B: (FEMA-funded) DPW $3.6M, SWBNO $954,000
• Read Boulevard East C: (FEMA-funded) DPW $3.3M, SWBNO $968,000
• Read Boulevard East D: (FEMA-funded) DPW $3.3M, SWBNO $998,000

At the beginning of the Cantrell Administration, less than one percent of the JIRR funds had been spent. To date, the City has been reimbursed approximately $169M, which is 12 percent of the City’s settlement.

Infrastructure projects are continuing across the city. Since May 2018, the City has completed 22 projects in District E alone, which equates to $81M. There are 15 projects under construction in District E now, which equates to $126M. In the next 60 days, the City will have more than $100M worth of Joint Infrastructure projects going out to bid.