New Orleans East woman desperate for help with dangerous sidewalk in front of home
Updated: 11:30 AM CST Feb 23, 2025
WE SEE IT ALL THE TIME. SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY TOO MUCH OF THE TIME. SIDEWALKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY WITH HUGE GAPS, BREAKS, CRACKS, EVEN TREES GROWING RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE. BUT A HOMEOWNER IN NEW ORLEANS EAST SAYS SHE CAN’T FIX HER DRIVEWAY UNTIL THE CITY FIXES THE SIDEWALK. WDSU TRAFFIC ANCHOR BRANDI B.HARRIS IS SHOWING US THE PROBLEM AND LEARNING WHY IT MAY NOT BE THAT EASY TO FIX. IT’S ALMOST LIKE A SEESAW. WOBBLY, UNSTABLE, AND HEAVILY CRACKED. ANGELA HARRIS SAYS THIS SIDEWALK HAS CRACKED HER SPIRIT. I’M JUST AFRAID THAT I’M GOING TO FALL. AND I JUST HAD A TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY. AND SO IT’S JUST BEEN REALLY DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE WITH RECENTLY INSTALLED ADA COMPLIANT CURBS UP AND DOWN LAKE FOREST DRIVE. HARRIS SAYS THERE’S BEEN NO ONE TO ADDRESS HER WORRIES. THE SIDEWALK, THEY HAVE ELEVATED IT TO A DIFFERENT CITY. DEPARTMENTS. THE TREE IS ANOTHER ISSUE. THEY’VE SENT IT TO PARKS AND PARKWAYS, BUT WE JUST HAVEN’T GOTTEN A RESOLVE. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. A SEVEN INCH GAP BETWEEN THE BROKEN CONCRETE AND THE SIDEWALK WITH CYPRESS STUMPS GROWING INTO THE CONCRETE. NOW, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE TELL ME THEIR BIGGEST CONCERNS ARE SAFETY AND ADA COMPLIANCE. YOU PUT SO MUCH MONEY INTO MAKING SURE THAT THESE ADA COMPLIANCE FOR THE CURBS, BUT THEN SOMEONE IN A WHEELCHAIR AND WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT HERE IN WHEELCHAIRS THAT ARE HANDICAPPED. THEY THEY CAN COME UP THE CURB, BUT THEY CAN’T EVEN COME TWO HOUSES DOWN. BUT ATTORNEY ANDREW BISER, WHO SPECIALIZES IN ADA SUITS, SAYS NOT SO FAST. THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE ADA IS THROUGH CIVIL LITIGATION. HE SAYS ADA COMPLIANCE IS JUDGED BY THE ENTIRETY OF THE ISSUE. SO YOU CAN’T JUST SAY, WELL, THAT THAT SIDEWALK HAS A THREE INCH CRACK IN IT, AND THEREFORE IT VIOLATES THE ADA, AND THEREFORE I CAN HAVE A SUCCESSFUL LAWSUIT. YOU NEED TO LOOK AT ALL THE SIDEWALKS AS A WHOLE AND DETERMINE WHETHER, AS A WHOLE, THEY ARE READILY USABLE, WHILE UNUSABLE SIDEWALKS IS AN ISSUE THROUGHOUT THE CITY. BISER SAYS COMPLIANCE IS ENFORCED THROUGH CIVIL SUIT AND BY WHAT THE CITY CAN CONTROL. YOU HAVE THESE STEEL BANDED CURB CUTS THAT OBVIOUSLY FOLKS WITH WHEELCHAIRS CAN’T GET ON. YOU KNOW, WE SUED THEM. THEY’VE AGREED TO REMOVE THOSE AND PUT IN CURB RAMPS. ANGELA HARRIS SAYS IT’S NOT ENOUGH. I DO NOT WANT TO PUT MONEY INTO FIXING MY DRIVEWAY, WHICH IS MY RESPONSIBILITY. IF THE ISSUE IS NOT RESOLVED AND SO I CAN POUR NEW CONCRETE. BUT THIS IS NOT RESOLVED. THIS IS THE CITY’S RESPONSIBILITY. WITH THE ROAD PATROL, BRANDI B.HARRIS WDSU NEWS. WELL, JUST AFTER WE VISITED ANGELA HARRIS FOR THIS STORY, SHE RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM NOLA SAYING AN INSPECTOR VISITED. AND THE CURRENT STEP IS REPAIR BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. THEY SAY THIS ISSUE IS RANKED AT 186 OUT OF 8463 KNOWN ISSUES FOR THE CITY. WE REACHED OUT TO THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS FOR A STATEMENT, AND WE’RE STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM. AND WE HAVE THIS UPDATE FROM LAST WEEK’S ROAD PATROL. SOME CORRECTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE ON ORADO STREET SINCE OUR STORY AIRED. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. ASPHALT PATCHING HAS BEEN COMPLETED AFTER PEOPLE LIVING AT THE SAINT CHARLES AVENUE CONDOMINIUMS HAD TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN TEMPORARY RAM TO AVOID DAMAGING CARS. THE ROAD PATCH IS DONE FOR PEOPLE TO SAFE
New Orleans East woman desperate for help with dangerous sidewalk in front of home
Updated: 11:30 AM CST Feb 23, 2025
A woman in New Orleans East is stuck dealing with an unsafe sidewalk in front of her home. Angela Harris, a homeowner in New Orleans East, says she cannot fix her driveway until the city addresses the unsafe sidewalk in front of her home. Harris, who recently had knee replacement surgery, is afraid she will fall due to the unstable and heavily cracked sidewalk on Lake Forrest Drive. Despite Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curbs being installed, the sidewalk remains neglected. Attorney Andrew Bisner explains that ADA compliance is judged by the entirety of the issue, and enforcement is done through civil litigation. Harris stressed the need for the city to take responsibility for the sidewalk repairs.After WDSU Road Patrol visited Bisner, she received a message from fixNOLA, saying an inspector visited her home and the sidewalk has been flagged for repair. Bisner’s issue is ranked 1,286 out of the 8,463 known issues around the city, according to the message she received. WDSU Road Patrol reached out to the city for a comment, but at this time have not received a response.
A woman in New Orleans East is stuck dealing with an unsafe sidewalk in front of her home.
Angela Harris, a homeowner in New Orleans East, says she cannot fix her driveway until the city addresses the unsafe sidewalk in front of her home.
Harris, who recently had knee replacement surgery, is afraid she will fall due to the unstable and heavily cracked sidewalk on Lake Forrest Drive.
Despite Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curbs being installed, the sidewalk remains neglected.
Attorney Andrew Bisner explains that ADA compliance is judged by the entirety of the issue, and enforcement is done through civil litigation.
Harris stressed the need for the city to take responsibility for the sidewalk repairs.
After WDSU Road Patrol visited Bisner, she received a message from fixNOLA, saying an inspector visited her home and the sidewalk has been flagged for repair.
Bisner’s issue is ranked 1,286 out of the 8,463 known issues around the city, according to the message she received.
WDSU Road Patrol reached out to the city for a comment, but at this time have not received a response.
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