Motorists will see preliminary work begin Friday on a major drainage project on Casino Row to improve drainage in the area near First and Pine streets, a block north of U.S. 90.
The southernmost lane of the highway may be closed intermittently Friday on Casino Row as workers begin excavation work to install major drainage and utility lines from south of U.S. 90 to a block north on Pine Street.
“The contractors will be doing some digging Friday to see what they’ll have to deal with,” Mayor A.J. Holloway said. “They’ll be looking at things like the water table in that area and the clearance needed on existing underground utilities.
“We’re doing everything that we can on the front end to minimize the inconvenience to motorists and keep people informed.”
The 90-day project will actually begin Monday. Within two weeks, the contractor will begin the major excavation on U.S. 90, and he will have 21 days to complete that work, which will involve digging a 14-foot deep trench through the highway to install the three-foot-by-five-foot drainage system.
When trenching on U.S. 90 begins, the contractor may be working 24 hours a day to keep the highway work on schedule.
During the entire construction period, at least four lanes of U.S. 90 will be open – two eastbound and two westbound. Additionally, police officers will be on hand as needed to help direct traffic, which may be diverted to either side of the highway. There are no plans to divert traffic off of U.S. 90.
