NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – With less than a week until Super Bowl LIX, the City of New Orleans is putting finishing touches on a series of infrastructure improvements.
While local fans are eagerly preparing for gameday, work crews are stocking the streets with extra trash bins, pressure-washing sidewalks and repairing broken lights.
Michael Hecht, infrastructure coordinator for the city’s Super Bowl improvements, acknowledged the challenges of the New Year’s Day terror attack and January’s historic snowfall, but assured that the improvements are still on track.
One key effort involves beautifying the abandoned Plaza Tower skyscraper. Crews are working quickly to wrap the building in advertisements promoting Louisiana’s energy and tourism, along with a large ‘Queen Pelican’ mural by local artist Becky Fos.
“We’re taking a building that’s become a bit of an eyesore, and it’s going to be beautified for the game,” Hecht said. “Hopefully, for many months after it.”
Elsewhere in the city, new grout is drying along the streetcar line near the Saenger Theater, and improvements to streets and sidewalks are nearing completion. With 20 full streets of roughly 400 blocks paved, the French Quarter is seeing significant upgrades.
These changes are anticipated to benefit the city long after the Super Bowl crowds head back home.
In addition to aesthetic upgrades, the city also is enhancing security. Metal barriers and bollards have been set up throughout the French Quarter and along Bourbon Street.
The NFL is coordinating with local authorities to implement additional security measures leading up to the game, plans the league says were already in place prior to the attack.
Super Bowl LIX has been designated by the federal government as a Level One Special Event, indicating the highest threat risk.
“But I fundamentally think that with all the improvements, all the murals, and all the energy,” Hecht said. “The vibe is going to be untouched.”
Fans and city officials are preparing for an historic event that will leave a lasting impact on New Orleans.
“It’s more than a glow-up, because the stuff that we’re doing here — from the hard stuff on the ground to the beautiful murals on the walls — it’s going to last for a decade or more,” Hecht said. “And that’s going to be the legacy of the Super Bowl.”
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