Written by David Shepardson
(Reuters) – The city of New Orleans has begun replacing security barriers along Bourbon Street ahead of Wednesday's truck attack that killed at least a dozen people and injured more than 30 others.
In response to vehicular attacks on pedestrian malls around the world, New Orleans was in the process of removing and replacing barriers known as barricades that restrict vehicular traffic in the pedestrian area of Bourbon Street. The barriers were first installed in 2017 before the NBA All Star Game as part of a $40 million security plan.
An old barrier at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon streets was removed a few weeks ago and equipment was put in place to replace it, NOLA.com reported Wednesday. The newspaper quoted Bob Sims, who oversees security initiatives for the French Quarter administration district, as saying that the old barriers are “completely ineffective.”
A 2017 city-commissioned report noted that the French Quarter “is often densely populated with pedestrians and represents an area where a mass casualty incident could occur.”
“The area also represents a danger zone and a terrorism target area that the FBI has identified as a concern that the city must address,” the report said.
New Orleans, which installed barriers for the first time in the wake of other vehicular attacks around the world, said it is now installing removable barriers made of stainless steel that can be securely locked behind each crosswalk.
According to the city's website, the project is scheduled to be completed by late January, in time for the NFL Super Bowl to be held on February 9 about a mile away in the Superdome in New Orleans.
New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver in the New Year's Day attack was able to get around the barriers. She added: “Because of the deliberate mindset of this perpetrator – who crossed the barricades in order to do this – he was intent on creating the carnage and the damage he caused.”
