UPDATE: Less than four hours after our inquiry, the city towed the truck away from the construction zone. It will remain in the same general area until the 21st, when it will be towed per city ordinance. But it’s away from the construction area so work can resume.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Neighbors who live in the 3300 block of Roger Williams Street in the Desaix Neighborhood, say the Sewerage and Water Board’s repair of a water issue was a big relief.
Sure, they had no problem dealing with the temporary patch job over the pavement. They knew the final, finishing touch would be on the way.
Besides, they could still drive down the street.
Last week, the city began work on the final stages of the road repair.
Contractors cut out a large section of the street and surrounded it with orange cones and warning tape.
The only problem was the work zone stretched all the way across the street, so no traffic could pass. Still, neighbors knew it was all in the name of progress.
Then, Sunday night, the work came to a screeching halt. Someone drove their Volvo into the repair trench and left it, stuck and in park.
Neighbors told us that the driver spent the night in the car then walked away and left it. They also say they called the city and police department to have the car moved.
Mid-week, the city posted a notice on the car that, if not moved, it would be towed on March 21. But neighbors wondered why the issue needed to drag into the following week.
They say that if the car were in the French Quarter or the Warehouse District, it would be an hour or less before the car would be history.
Here’s another reason for the neighbors’ concerns. They say that workers who delivered rebar to the work site — so cement could be poured — were unable to place any in the area of the job affected by the car. So they worried that their street could remain closed days longer than needed.
WGNO reached out to the city, and here’s what workers for the mayor say. The city is required to give proper notice before a car in this situation is towed. They insist it’s the same standard no matter where the car is parked.
But workers also say that public safety can be part of the consideration. So in this case, the car will be removed from the street tomorrow, March 17, and the owner fined for all violations.