Construction is scheduled to begin late this summer on the first phase of a project to turn two old wharves on the edge of the French Quarter into a public park with riverfront access, long a dream of city leaders.
But officials with the Audubon Nature Institute, which is partnering with the city on the project, say key details are still being worked out over factors such as parking, lighting, maintenance and design, as cost estimates have ballooned. Initially the cost of the entire project was pegged at $30 million.
Now, officials say the first of the two phases alone will cost an estimated $30 million.
“The total will probably end up being more like $50 million,” Audubon Institute President and CEO Ron Forman said Tuesday.
A rendering shows what part of the newly imagined stretch of riverfront between the Moon Walk and the Bywater will look like under a newly proposed plan.
Construction is expected to take at least two years, which means the new section of riverfront won’t be completed in time for New Orleans to play host to Super Bowl LIX next February.
“But we are working to create a staging area there that will be like an exhibit where we can show influencers and the media what we are working on and what it will ultimately mean for New Orleans,” Forman said.
Missing link
First conceived during Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration, the Riverfront for All project, as it’s known, calls for creating 2.25 miles of continuous riverfront access by transforming the old Gov. Nicholls Street and Esplanade Avenue wharves into green space, recreational areas, an open-air shed and a multi-use path.
A rendering shows what part of the newly imagined stretch of riverfront between the Moon Walk and the Bywater will look like under a newly proposed plan.
When completed, the newly redeveloped area will provide a crucial link between the pedestrian-friendly wharves upriver—which includes Spanish Plaza, the Algiers Ferry Landing, Woldenberg Park and the Moonwalk—and Crescent Park on the downriver side.
The first phase of the project will include the redevelopment of the Gov. Nicholls Street wharf and construction of the multi-use path along both wharves. The Esplanade Avenue wharf will be redeveloped in the second phase.
Renderings of the project unveiled last summer reimagined the Gov. Nicholls Street wharf as mostly green space and a recreational area, with some seating and an elevated walkway along the roofline of a mostly deconstructed warehouse. The Esplanade Avenue wharf in the plans was converted to an open-air shed that would be used for pop-up markets or small-scale entertainment events. A multi-use trail spanned the length of both.
Those plans are being revised to lower costs and address the concerns of neighbors, including noise, according to Audubon spokesperson Melissa Lee.
Gone, for instance, is the elevated walkway atop the Gov. Nicholls Street warehouse.
“Candidly, it was too expensive,” Forman said. “But maybe in a later phase it can be added back in.”
Inflation, delays
Audubon has been working for years with the city on the project, which was originally estimated to cost $15 million. The project was delayed during the pandemic and by the time plans were unveiled last summer, costs had roughly doubled to $30 million. At the time, Audubon committed half the money needed to get started.
In February, the City Council committed the other $15 million. In the months since, the two sides have been working through the details. They’ve also been crunching the numbers and the budget has grown due to the rising cost of goods, inflation and the challenges of building near the river, Audubon officials said.
A rendering shows what part of the newly imagined stretch of riverfront between the Moon Walk and the Bywater will look like under a newly proposed plan.
Forman said he is confident the $30 million will cover the first phase of construction and possibly some of the second phase. He is hopeful Audubon can raise the additional $20 million from donations and other private sources to complete the project.
Still unclear is a source of funding for the annual operation and maintenance of the new park, which will cost an estimated $1.5 million. Under the current agreement, Audubon will be in charge of upkeep, just as it is at Woldenberg Park.
The city’s French Market Corporation is responsible for maintenance at the Moonwalk and Crescent Park.
“It’s weird the way it is divided up but that’s the way it is for now,” Forman said. “We have a lot of work to do figuring all that out.”
Tweaks
Parking is another unresolved issue. Two surface lots on Elysian Fields near the wharves could accommodate visitors to the park. But no arrangement has been finalized between Audubon and the French Market Corp., which owns the lots.
A rendering shows what part of the newly imagined stretch of riverfront between the Moon Walk and the Bywater will look like under a newly proposed plan.
Audubon officials are in the process of hiring a construction manager for the project, which will be in charge of hiring subcontractors and working with designers. The first phase of construction will be making making repairs to the underside of both wharves, Lee said.
Once the repairs are done, the warehouse on the Gov. Nicholls Street wharf will be demolished to make way for grassy and recreational areas, as well as construction of the multi-use path.
“Overall the plans are mostly the same but there are some tweaks as they move through the process,” Lee said.