NEW ORLEANS — The city’s multi-billion-dollar infrastructure overhaul is hitting a major nerve in the Lower Garden District, where a scheduled water valve project forced a stretch of Magazine Street to go completely dry on Wednesday, leaving local businesses blindsided and forced to shutter their doors.
Business owners say they were given less than 24 hours’ notice of the disruption, exposing a deep communication breakdown between the city, its contractors, and the community.
A sudden shutdown
On Wednesday morning, water rushed from opened fire hydrants across the Lower Garden District while foot traffic slowed to a crawl. Patrons attempting to stop by neighborhood staples like Hivolt Coffee or Crack’D Brunch were turned away empty-handed.
Hivolt Coffee took to social media to share the physical flyer they received, noting it was delivered at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday night—less than 15 hours before the water was scheduled to be turned off…