transportation

In New Orleans, hundreds of school buses criss-cross the city every day, picking up and dropping off kids at school. The city’s schools rely on a dozen fleets of private buses that travel along hundreds of routes.

Last month, 6-year-old Shaud Wilson was crossing a busy street to meet his school bus when he was hit and killed by a car.

The days of a free ride across the Mississippi River are coming to an end. Starting Sunday, passengers and cars will have to pay $2 to use the ferry system.

Plans are in the works for a $100 million streetcar line in the fast-developing Nicholson Drive corridor.

Planner John Fregonese tells The Advocate the corridor is a hotbed of commercial and residential development. Fregonese is working to implement the city's master land-use plan, known as FutureBR.

He cites developments such as IBM's service center, the residential tower going up next to it, the Water Campus coastal research center and the mixed-use River District development.

Louisiana State Police say motorists should not expect to see Interstate 10 reopened before Thursday.

Capt. Doug Cain says the state's major east-west thoroughfare remains closed between the Jefferson/Orleans parish line through Lafayette.

Cain says the concern is that temperatures won't warm up enough to thaw bridges along the highway like the Bonnet Carré Spillway, four miles at LaPlace and Interstate 55 over Manchac.

The Times-Picayune reports Cain also couldn't say when Interstate 12 might reopen.

Flights have resumed on a limited basis in and out of New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport.

Airport spokeswoman Michelle Wilcut said flights started arriving mid-morning on Wednesday, roughly a full day after a blast of winter weather suspended service.

Wilcut said the resumption of service will vary by airline.

The airport typically has roughly 260 daily flights.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has released its response plan for the winter storm threatening much of the state.

The plan details the roads and bridges DOTD will attempt to keep clear. However, as all storms are dynamic events, DOTD says the following information may be adjusted depending on changing conditions.

DOTD will commit resources to keep the following roads open:

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is preparing to deal with the snow, sleet and freezing rain expected to impact the New Orleans region this week.

The DOTD said in a press release that they are planning to pretreat portions of Interstates and major traffic corridors ahead of the storm's impact. Workers are prepared to apply de-icing materials, remove fallen trees, and close roadways if necessary; however, the state does not possess enough equipment or resources to keep all the bridges in the state open through this severe weather event.

Getting around New Orleans can be tricky. Whether they have a car, ride a bike, or use public transportation, Crescent City commuters face unique obstacles — from potholes to parades.

WWNO’s Listening Post collected audio from its recording locations at Norman Mayer Library in Gentilly and HeadQuarters Barbershop on Broad Street, as well as the Mirliton festival in the Bywater and the bus stop at the corner of Tulane and Loyola. The Listening Post asked people these questions:

• How do you get around New Orleans?