New Orleans officials are warning contractors to prepare for the possible cancellation of street-repair work across the city, as a Dec. 31 federal deadline threatens to shut down hundreds of blocks of FEMA-funded construction unless an extension is granted in the coming days.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration informed Mayor-elect Helena Moreno’s transition team the cancellation notices are going to construction firms to alert them that their work on major road projects may be forced to stop if FEMA does not extend funding for the Joint Infrastructure Recovery Request, or JIRR.
The warning has triggered a last-minute, bipartisan push in Washington, where Louisiana’s entire congressional delegation is now pressing FEMA to approve a three-year extension that would allow New Orleans to complete roughly $300 million in additional street repairs through 2028…