Gov. Jeff Landry and Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Tuesday promised a massive infrastructure effort in the coming months to prepare New Orleans for Super Bowl 2025 on Feb 9.
At a press conference at the Saenger Theater, Cantrell outlined a long list of improvements that are in the works, from fixing street lighting and busted sidewalks to dealing with the city’s homeless encampments.
Landry also said the state will play a big role in preparing the city for the NFL championship game, which will be held in New Orleans for the 11th time. Crime and public works projects are primary areas of focus.
“By the time we host the Super Bowl, New Orleans will be one of the safest cities in the country,” Landry promised, noting the efforts already made by the new Troop NOLA Louisiana State Police unit he put in place in January.
Tuesday’s event was an occasion to formally introduce Michael Hecht, CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., as Landry’s pick to coordinate the massive pre-Super Bowl improvement effort.
Hecht said his task is to corral various state and city agencies to make sure the improvements get done.
For example, he said, there are 70 major road projects to be completed in the city and in Jefferson Parish, 75 lighting upgrades and more than 40 drainage fixes that need to be addressed, many of which have been hanging around for years because of bureaucratic or other obstacles.
The city is currently working to repair streetlights on area interstate highways and fix streets around the Superdome and in the downtown area. A major project to repair and upgrade the lighting on the Crescent City Connection is also underway, and Superdome officials are working to complete the $500 million, multi-year renovation of the facility.
Forcing projects through
Susan Bourgeois, head of Louisiana Economic Development, said she sees next year’s event as an opportunity to shine a light not just on New Orleans and the state’s cultural attractions but also to highlight features like the Mississippi River’s role in commerce and trade; the legacy skills of the state’s workforce, especially in th energy sector; and the bourgeoning tech scene.
Preparations for the Super Bowl have been underway for years, but the work is accelerating with less than a year to go before the big game.
Landry, Cantrell and Hecht were joined by a host of other state and city officials, as well as Jay Cicero, President of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, and NFL executive Peter O’Reilly.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/roundup-writereditor-loved-deals-tout-f5de51f85de145b2b1eb99cdb7b6cb84.jpg "I’m a Travel Writer, and Out of the 5 Million Prime Day Deals on Site, These Are the 12 I’m Shopping")
