Seven years ago, New Orleans officials began installing adjustable barriers at intersections in the famed French Quarter to temporarily prevent vehicles from entering the tourist area where the narrow streets are typically teeming with pedestrians every night of the week. But the stainless-steel columns known as bollards were in the process of being replaced and some were apparently not engaged early on New Year's Day when a motorist rammed a pickup truck through a crowd of revelers, killing 10 people.
The project to remove and replace the bollards along about eight blocks of bustling Bourbon Street, from St. Ann Street to Canal Street, began Nov. 18, city documents show. Temporary asphalt patches were installed in the spots where the steel columns were removed, according to the documents.
