Canal Street & Carrollton Avenue Streetcar Tracks, New Orleans

The familiar rumble of streetcars is heard again on Canal Street in downtown New Orleans. The old streetcar line, which was abandoned in favor of diesel buses in 1964, again trundles passengers down the Canal Street neutral ground.

Better still, commuters on the uptown St. Charles Avenue line and tourists on the Riverfront line can ride continuously from the New Orleans Museum of Art, the cemeteries or Carrollton Avenue to the Elysian Fields end of the French Quarter because of the new track laid by Boh Bros. Construction Co. LLC of New Orleans.

The project is the final phase of an overall plan providing commercial service to the cemetery area and up Carrollton to the New Orleans Museum of Art.

The Regional Transit Authority divided this section of work into four distinct projects. Boh Bros. served as general contractor on each of the three rail projects and as the railroad subcontractor to ConstructionSouth.

From the 800 block of Canal Street to the cemeteries, and from Canal and Carrollton to Beauregard Circle, at the entrance to the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park, Boh crews installed new streetcar track in the median and, in some areas, in traffic lanes of the city streets.

In order to minimize disruption to the traveling public, it was crucial that every aspect of the project be scheduled and executed to perfection.

Coordination and project management were critical to the success of the project. Boh Bros. worked closely with the owner, design firm, construction manager and numerous subcontractors and suppliers.

A detailed schedule and bi-weekly meetings ensured communication and coordination between all parties. Web-based project management software enabled project team members to initiate and track requests for information and submittals, share photographs and documents, log correspondence and manage purchase orders and materials.

The project was built in the median of one of the busiest streets in New Orleans, with only minimal disruption to neighboring businesses. Boh Bros. met all schedule goals established by the owner, including completion of the work on Carrollton and Orleans avenues in time for Mardi Gras parades.