When workers began lifting up the sidewalk grates on Canal Street for cleaning last month — apparently, for the first time ever — they found the drains below brimming with dirt. In some cases, plants were growing out of about 5 inches of soil, which appeared stamped with the shape of the grates by years of buildup.
Built to carry rainwater from the boulevard’s broad bump-outs between Decatur and Basin streets, the sidewalk gutters had been completely clogged for years, according to Seth Knudsen, president and CEO of the Downtown Development District…