NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The City of New Orleans has announced a construction and utility work moratorium set to begin on December 1, affecting the French Quarter and Central Business District.

In a statement released on Friday evening, the city provided clarity on the following points:

• The moratorium affects work on public right-of-ways and utility infrastructure but does not apply to interior renovations or work off the right-of-way.
• New applications for construction work must be submitted by November 12.
• Ongoing projects will not face a strict shutdown by November 30 but will need to submit demobilization plans during critical periods around the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.
• Scaffolding and construction dumpsters will not be allowed in the right-of-way.

This detailed announcement follows a previous release from October 30, which had urged contractors to observe a moratorium without specifying guidelines.

Before the new details were disclosed, Fox 8 spoke with Andre Kelly, Vice President of Member Projects for the Associated General Contractors. He expressed a desire for clearer communication: “I would like to see better and improved communication so that we can better do our job and we can be less of a headache in the areas that we are.”

Both press releases confirm that the moratorium is set to last until March 4, 2025, aiming to reduce disruptions during the holiday season, Super Bowl, and Mardi Gras. The affected areas include the French Quarter, Central Business District, and surrounding neighborhoods.

Kelly warned that a broadly applied moratorium could financially impact contractors due to costs associated with starting and stopping projects. He also noted the inconvenience residents may face: “Folks moving in and out of downtown will experience delays due to not being able to use the street for an extended period.”

He reached out to council members about the announcement. Councilmembers Lesli Harris and Freddie King, whose districts are included in the moratorium, have yet to provide comments on the matter.

District A Councilman Joe Giarrusso mentioned that he was informed of the moratorium through the release: “I understand that we need to get the work done…there’s a difference between encouragement and maybe scaring people,” he stated.

Business owners on Decatur Street have reported that ongoing construction has hurt their sales. Kilwin’s Store Manager Christy Gibson expressed hope that the moratorium would improve foot traffic: “I know people see the construction and they go to the other side of the street…hopefully if they stop and move all of these big machines out of the way, we could get more people in.”

Kelly anticipates further updates from the city soon.