Public-Private streets

Eventually they're going to let the Newcomb Blvd residents buy the street. If we can just convince them to build a little moat around themselves and stay on their side, we might all be better off anyway. 

Meanwhile, Lakeshore Drive, which already is only open to traffic during certain hours, is getting ready to undergo yet another in a seemingly never-ending series of multi-year renovations.

A year after the groundbreaking, crews are close to completing a $6 million project to stop the erosion and give the lakefront a new look.

Between the Lighthouse and Mardi Gras Fountain, a concrete cap is keeping waves from washing the soil away.

"Just the little bit of progress to date, some of these northerners, it's really protected a lot," said (Orleans Levee District spokesman Gerry) Gillen.

But the concrete surface creates a new walking path for lakefront visitors, complete with new benches and wheelchair access.

"Oh, it's gonna look terrific," said Gillen. "We do have some landscaping and decorative security lighting that's going out there. This is the second most visited tourist area other than the French Quarter."

This week pre-construction work is starting on the second phase, the badly scoured area at Franklin Avenue.

I would love to see where Gillen is getting his lakefront tourism statistics.  I know "think of the tourists" is the go-to reason to bolster an argument for any project you can think of these days. But this one seems dubious.

In any case, you have to admire the Lakeview folks a little. They've managed to keep their technically public street mostly private for decades without having to deal without having to go through the ugliness of a public hearing.