Garden District residents on the Nextdoor app were already embroiled this week in a robust debate over one of their favorite topics: the recent changes on Government Street that have reduced four traffic lanes to three, added bike lanes, sidewalks, and medians with flower beds.
The changes were conceived several years ago by the Center for Planning Excellence and were trumpeted as an improvement that would transform the busy thoroughfare into a more pedestrian and bike friendly “complete street.”
But for a variety of reasons, it has angered a vocal constituency in the immediately surrounding area, whose members have taken to social media on a regular basis to vent their frustrations and argue with those who applaud the change.
In the wake of Wednesday’s heavy downpour due to the remnants of Hurricane Nicholas, the naysayers have fresh ammunition: The flower beds appeared to be flooding, spilling their mulch into the streets and clogging storm drains.
“Parts of Government Street and Acadian are now flooding, thanks to the medians,” one Capital Heights resident posted around 5 p.m. Wednesday, when the rain was at its heaviest. “Government was flooding yesterday at Superior Grill. That never used to happen.”
Others chimed in with their own anecdotal observations about the situation, some blaming the new medians for the standing street water, others taking issue with the criticism.
Is there any validity to the complaint?
A spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Transportation, which did the work on Government Street, says water was “ponding” in a few areas due to intense rain around 6 p.m., when a DOTD employee drove the street to check. He says such ponding is common in many areas “when we have flash floods.”
As of this morning, all the water had drained off.
Fred Raiford, director of transportation and drainage for the city-parish, says he also is unaware of any street flooding caused by the much-maligned medians.
“I am not aware of anything that would cause the medians and flower beds to have any impact on drainage,” Raiford says. “If anyone is aware of a particular trouble spot, let us know and we’ll come take a look at it.”
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September 16, 2021 at 10:32PM
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Standing water on Government prompts complaints, questions about ‘complete street’ - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report
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