Fact Sheet
The “Florida Project” is a joint federal and state funded proposal to expand Florida Avenue and create a new freeway through the 8th and 9th Wards on Florida, for heavy trucks that are in transit from the St. Bernard Port.
Currently, there are problems associated with Florida Avenue in the Upper 9th Ward, such as the truck traffic that diverts from there down Pauline and damages the homes of senior citizens and long time residents of the area.
A further expansion of Florida Blvd will create an unnecessary freeway for heavy trucks to come through Orleans Parish to reach Elysian Fields and then gain access to the interstate. The option to have the trucks take Paris Rd. in St Bernard is by far the cheaper and more expedient option for the trucks and state. Frankly, imposing a freeway on African American communities is simply environmental racism.
Elected officials are telling residents that a new Florida Avenue Bridge is completely contingent on the whole Florida “freeway” project. This is not true, as funding for this bridge has to be a separate item.
A freeway through our community would create noise, congestion, pollution, and access points for heavy trucks to cut through the neighborhoods. It is particularly mind-boggling that they would attempt to put this truck traffic onto Elysian Fields at I-610 where there is currently so much congestion and an existing danger from the current heavy traffic.
A Community Voice supports:
- A new Florida bridge
- Replacement of the Claiborne/Judge Seeber bridge
- An additional bike and pedestrian bridge at St. Claude
- All St. Bernard Parish truck traffic needs to stay in St. Bernard Parish, and use Paris Rd. to get to the interstate
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no-florida-avenue-freeway-fact-sheet
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