FEB. 2025. Blues Vol 41 No.2

AROUND THE COUNTRYNEW

AROUND THE COUNTRYNEW ORLEANS, LA.New barriers coming to Bourbon Street not designed to stop truckattacks like on New Year’s Day. Where are the barriers from 2017?By Ben MyersThe new bollards being installedalong Bourbon Street in the FrenchQuarter are not designed to stop thetype of truck attacks that have hitcities around the world and claimedthe lives of 14 people on New Year’sDay in New Orleans, according tocity design documents, meetingminutes and people familiar withbollard system design.Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administrationis replacing the protectivepoles known as bollards that in 2017were placed along Bourbon to helpprevent against acts of terrorisminvolving large trucks. The projectgot underway in November andis not yet complete, which is whybollards were not in place whenShamsud-Din Jabbar turned ontoBourbon from Canal Street to beginhis deadly rampage.The 2017 bollards, manufacturedby U.K.-based Heald, are ratedto withstand a collision with a15,000-pound vehicle moving at 40miles per hour, according to Heald’swebsite. That is roughly the weightof a medium-size delivery truck.When announcing the project, cityleaders referenced the 2016 attackin Nice, France, where a cargo truckwas driven into crowds, killing 86people.To replace those bollards, theCantrell administration is installinga system rated to withstand col-lisions with 5,000-pound vehiclesmoving at approximately 10 milesper hour. The rating of the newsystem, S-10, is at the lowest endof the rating scale for protectivebollards. Jabbar’s F-150 Lightningweighed approximately 6,000pounds and appeared in videos tobe moving far faster than 10mph aftermaking it on to Bourbon Street.S-10 rated bollards are typicallyused to protect storefronts fromslow-moving vehicles or to guardagainst miscues when drivers areexiting parking lots, according toScott Rosenbloom, who has ownedbollard manufacturing companiesand worked in bollard sales for 40years.The rating of the new system “isexponentially, far less than whatthey currently have,” said Rosenbloom.“The only time I see these productsused at this rating is for whatwe call storefront safety, which ispedal misapplication, not terrorism,”Rosenbloom said. “You wantto protect the front of the store becausesome guy hit the gas insteadof the brake.”Why did New Orleans choosethis type of bollard?The Cantrell administration didnot respond to questions on whythe S-10 bollards were chosen, or ifit is considering changes to its newsystem after the New Year’s Dayattack. Explaining why the currentbollards were not in place beforethe attack, Cantrell said during anews conference on Wednesdaythat the new bollard installationwas timed to be complete ahead ofthe Super Bowl on Feb. 9.“Because the city of New Orleanswas hosting the Super Bowl thisyear, it gave (the city) an oppor-52 The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25

CLICK TO WATCHtunity to go further and deeperwith infrastructure improvements,”Cantrell said.Project details on the city’s websitesay that the new system willprovide several benefits, including“eliminating pedestrian trippinghazards,” improving sidewalks,improving pedestrian safety “byextending pedestrian mall closureintersection to intersection,” andmaking the bollards easier to moveinto place.The project details don’t includeany mention of potential terroristattacks.Construction of the new bollardsfollowed a study of the existingsystem and meetings with FrenchQuarter residents and businessowners, according to a press releaseon Wednesday to addressquestions about why there weren’tpermanent barriers in place aheadof the attack. The previous bollards,which moved on tracks, weredifficult to maintain because theyfrequently filled with gunk, and atsome point they became inoperable.French Quarter residents andbusiness owners complained to thecity for years about the need for anew system. Interfor International,a security consulting firm, stronglyrecommended immediate repairs tothe system in a 2020 report commissionedby the French QuarterManagement District.A crash rating scale for bollardsbased on 5,000-pound vehicles wasdeemed the best choice “based offthe worst-case scenario,” accordingto December 2023 meeting minutesfor workshops at City Hall conductedby Mott MacDonald, the projectengineering firm. The minutes donot say who determined that ratingshould be used.Are other lines of defense comingto Bourbon Street?In addition to going with bollardswhich offered protection on thatlesser weight scale, known as theASFM F3016, officials chose bollardswith the lowest designation on thatscale.“It’s the lowest of the low,” saidJeff Halaut, a security consultantwho advises governmental clients.“I don’t know any consultant orany engineering or design firm thatknows anything about crash ratingsthat would put an S-10 in a target-richenvironment.”Mott MacDonald meeting minutessuggest the city was considering anS-10 rating because bollards wouldnot be the only line of defense intrying to secure Bourbon Street.It’s not clear what other barriersthe Cantrell administration mightbe considering for the Super Bowl.A wedge barrier in the 100 block ofBourbon Street was not deployedon New Year’s Eve but has beendeployed in the aftermath of theattack. In past years, the city hasalso deployed archer barriers andtemporarily blocked Bourbon Streetwith a large truck.Rosenbloom said he was baffledat the city’s decision to install abollard system with significantlyless protection, even if it is easier touse.“Why did they feel the need for alesser rating?” Rosenbloom asked.The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 53