City Celebrates Completion of Michoud Front Door Infrastructure Improvement Project
NEW ORLEANS – November 4, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Mitch Landrieu joined City officials and business leaders to celebrate the completion of the $6.2 million Michoud Front Door Infrastructure Improvement Project. The project included sustainable, environmentally integrated storm water management improvements which were designed to help create additional and continued private investment in one of the city’s key recovery areas in the Michoud neighborhood.
“This area of New Orleans East is an economic engine reinforcing that advanced manufacturing is key for the growth of New Orleans,” said Mayor Landrieu. “Now that the infrastructure improvements in the Michoud Front Door are complete, we are counting on the continued commitment from the exemplary business community and plan to leverage additional private investment in this area.”
Construction of this project began in October of 2014 and consisted of restoring more than two miles of roadway along Old Gentilly Road, adding new striping, as well as installing new lighting and improving the drainage.
Executive Director of Sewerage and Water Board Cedric Grant said, “I am pleased today to celebrate the completion of this critical project. The drainage improvements we made have significantly increased the capacity to move rain water from the roadway and ensure that businesses in the area can operate safely.”
The Michoud Front Door Project was funded by a federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which was designed to help communities provide a suitable living enviro?nment and expand economic opportunities for residents, and Local Government Infrastructure Program (ILOC) funds. These funds were administered by the Louisiana Office of Community Development-Disaster Recovery Unit.
“The upheaval created by Hurricane Katrina threatened the economic viability not only of the city of New Orleans, but of the entire region,” said Pat Forbes, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Community Development-Disaster Recovery Unit. “The aerospace and defense industries are an integral component in maintaining the economic well-being of New Orleans, that’s why the state of Louisiana has fully funded this disaster recovery project, which lies at the front door of NASA’s Michoud facility.”
President and CEO of the New Orleans Business Alliance, Quentin Messer said, “Nearly every U.S. manned flight into space has had some component built at the Michoud Assembly Facility,” said New Orleans Business Alliance President and CEO Quentin L. Messer, Jr. “It is among the city’s most valuable infrastructure assets. With the completion of the Michoud Front Door project, our economic development prospects will now approach an entry that reflects this stellar history and the immense capabilities within.”
The City currently has $150 million worth of road construction projects in progress and is on track to complete more than $80 million of that work this year. Additionally, since 2010, the City has invested over $200 million and created hundreds of jobs through other key economic development projects in New Orleans East.
