Finding a solution to the homeless problem has long been a topic of conversation in New Orleans. With budget cuts looming and worries about encampments growing, there are safety concerns to consider as well. Scott Boyle is District Engineer Administrator at the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and says fires created by homeless people living in encampments under local bridges have created costly and lengthy construction and maintenance issues.
“Within the last nine days, we’ve had three fires that have occurred under our infrastructure,” Boyle explained. “Two of those fires by Costco by I-10, the Carrollton and Airline interchange, and one early Sunday morning by the Loyola entrance ramp to the Crescent City Connection bridge and that one was a very significant encampment fire. We’re still determining whether or not we’ll be able to get that ramp back open,” he went on to say. Boyle says that safety is of utmost importance to make sure motorists are not harmed by the damage being done. He does warn, however, that the process of assessing the damage and doing the construction work could take months and the price tag could be millions of dollars…