Road, School Closures: New Orleans Area Updates On Freezing Temperatures

Causeway bridge closed; residents urged to refrain from driving

COVINGTON – As roadway conditions continue to deteriorate, parish and state officials are urging residents to stay off of the roadways on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) is reporting that I-12 is closed from LA 1077 to Baton Rouge, and I-55 is closed both Northbound and Southbound from Hwy 190 in Hammond to the Mississippi state line. The Causeway Bridge is closed due to poor visibility.

“Residents are urged to stay off of the roads if you do not absolutely need to travel,” said Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish president. “Pay close attention to weather forecasts and news outlets for updates on conditions as the weather moves through. Do not travel if you do not have to.”

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Mayor Landrieu Provides Updates on Winter Weather 

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu urges residents and visitors to stay warm and safe during winter weather moving into the New Orleans region. 

Temperatures remain frigid in New Orleans and are not expected to rise above freezing until a brief period mid-afternoon Wednesday. Temperatures will again drop tonight with a hard freeze Warning in effect from 5 p.m. through 11 a.m. Thursday. Wintry precipitation moved through the area last night leaving icy conditions across the city.

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Public safety agencies, including the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS), and the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) responded to over 600 calls for service overnight Tuesday. Over 100 calls for service were handled by NOEMS, many of which were traffic accidents related to dangerous road conditions, including one traffic-related fatality.​

Roadways and bridges

LaDOTD reports continued closures on the following elevated roadways due to icy conditions:

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I-10 and I-610 from Metairie to Slidell, including the Highrise Bridge and the Twin Span Bridge
Leon C Simon Dr. between Press Dr. and Downman Rd. (Seabrook (Ted Hickey) Bridge)

Crews with the City’s Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) have been working overnight and continue to assess and address road conditions throughout the city. DPW crews have completed sanding operations on the Broad St. overpass and the intersection of Chef Menteur Hwy and Read Blvd. Crews are currently sanding the Jeff Davis overpass and will then address the intersection of Earhart Blvd. and Washington Ave. Additional hazards will be addressed as needed throughout the day. Residents are encouraged to call 911 to report dangerous road conditions.

Motorists can access the latest updates on real-time traffic and road conditions and closures using the 511 Traveler Information System by dialing 511 from their telephone and saying the route or region about which they are seeking information. Out-of-state travelers can call 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511). This information is also available online on the 511 Traveler Information Web site at www.511la.org.

Schools

All NOLA schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Recovery School District and the Orleans Public School Board are closed Wednesday. Additionally, local universities, including Delgado, Dillard, Loyola, LSU Health, Southern University of New Orleans, Tulane, University of New Orleans, and Xavier are closed as well.

City facilities

The following City facilities closed for business Wednesday:

City Hall (1300 Perdido St.)
All New Orleans Recreation Department Commission (NORD) facilities
All New Orleans Public Library branches
Municipal and Traffic Court
Criminal Court
Civil District Court

Sewerage and Water Board

All Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans offices are closed today.  

Regional Transit Authority (RTA)

Service remains suspended on all streetcar lines, including the Riverfront Streetcar line. The RTA has replaced streetcar service on Canal/Cemeteries and St. Charles with limited bus service until conditions improve. 

The RTA has restored limited bus service to the following routes (limited service is restored to the entire route unless otherwise noted):

5 – Marigny-Bywater, 10 – Tchoupitoulas, 11 – Magazine, 15 – Freret, 28 – M.L. King, 39 – Tulane, 60 – Hayne is running from Delgado to SUNO, 84 – Galvez, 88 – St. Claude/ Jackson Barracks, 91 – Jackson-Esplanade, 94 – Broad will start from Tulane Avenue

The RTA will monitor roads and weather reports and will continue to resume services as conditions improve.

For Rider Alerts and more information regarding RTA detours, visit www.norta.com and register a MyRTA email account to receive service alerts. For help in planning your trip or for questions about detours or delays, call the Customer Care Rideline at 504-248-3900. We will continue to provide updates via Twitter and Facebook @NewOrleansRTA, as well as our website: www.norta.com.

Ferries

The Canal Street/ Algiers Point Ferry and the Lower Algiers/ Chalmette Ferry will remain out of service until further notice. For the latest information call (504) 248-3900 or follow RTA on Twitter at @NewOrleansRTA. Riders are also encouraged to visit the RTA website at www.norta.com for service alerts.

Sanitation

All Metro Services and Richard's Disposal garbage and recycling collection has been cancelled for today due to icy road conditions. Collection will resume on the second collection day this week, which is Saturday for garbage and next Wednesday for recycling.

Empire Services will make a second collection today in the commercial area of the French Quarter and the DDD. Residents and businesses should have their trash place on the curb for collection by 2:30 p.m. today.

Gentilly Landfill is closed today and Riverbirch Landfill will close at noon today.

New Orleans International Airport

The runways at Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans International Airport are closed at this time due to icy conditions. Airlines have cancelled morning flights to and from the Airport. Officials will continue to monitor the runway surface conditions and will reopen the runways only when it is safe to do so. 

Because of hazardous road conditions, travelers are urged to check with their airlines directly for latest the information on cancellations before heading to the airport. The airport terminal remains open, however there are limited food and beverage options available. 

Additionally, the elevated departures ramp is closed at this time because of ice accumulation.  All traffic is being diverted to the bottom arrivals ramp. 

The safety of our travelers is our top priority. We will continue to stay in constant communication with you to provide updates on the operations as soon as they become available.   

Visitor attractions

All hotels, restaurants, attractions and other tourism related facilities remain open and ready to accommodate our visitors. 

NOLA 311

NOLA 311 is closed Wednesday. To report downed power lines and any other emergencies, call 911.

Updates on winter weather and local impacts will be available at ready.nola.gov. Residents are encouraged follow @NOLAReady on Twitter and to sign up for email and text message alerts at http://ready.nola.gov/stay-connected/emergency-alerts/ . For more information on winter weather preparedness, visit http://ready.nola.gov/plan/winter/.

Important numbers to know

For life threatening emergencies and downed power lines, call 911

For real-time traffic and road condition, call 511
Report downed traffic signals, call 504-821-2222
Sewerage and Water Boards 24/7 line, call 504-529-2837
To report power outages, call 1-800-968-8243 (1-800-9OUTAGE)
To report water emergencies, call  504-529-2837 (504-52WATER)

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