Crews have begun cleaning the sidewalk drainage troughs along Canal Street between Decatur and Basin streets. NOLA.com reported Saturday, October 10 that workers started lifting the grates last month and found soil and plants inside.
The report says there is no record of an earlier cleaning. Downtown Development District CEO Seth Knudsen believes a comprehensive cleanout may never have happened since the drains were installed after Hurricane Katrina. That is the district’s assessment, rather than a confirmed maintenance history.
The work is part of the district’s Canal Street Phase II project, which includes cleaning more than 850 linear feet of sidewalk drains, installing 30 steel drain covers and repairing more than 1,700 square feet of sidewalk.
The district says the broader project is funded with more than $150,000 in capital bond and operating funds.