transportation

Railroad freight traffic could be shifted of tracks that run through one of Louisiana's most affluent neighborhoods if planners get their way.

But it could take $700 million to make the shift.

State transportation officials are studying whether to reroute freight trains from a track that bisects one of the most affluent parts of Metairie to a combination of tracks that would parallel Earhart Expressway and pass through the Hollygrove neighborhood on New Orleans' western edge.

The City Council has authorized expenses for unexpected work at Hammond Northshore Regional Airport after crews working there dug into what is believed to be an underground river.

The Daily Star reports the council approved an emergency change in the contract for the work to allow for about $25,000 of culverts to be installed underground to get around the river problem.

Lakefront Airport has been restored to its Art Deco glory days. A $20 million restoration has left the terminal looking as Huey Long once left it.

No matter what neighborhood you live in, chances are you’ve been confronted with one thing this summer — and that’s construction. As roads from the Lakefront to the Riverbend get smoothed over, city officials are taking the opportunity to ensure that the new roads are better not only for drivers, but also for cyclists.

Lalo Flores, a Mid-City resident and avid bicyclist, is impressed by the repairs to Esplanade Ave.

This week on Out to Lunch, Iftikhar Ahmad, Director of Aviation at Louis Armstrong International Airport is ready to take off with an $860 million overhaul of the airport. At the Lakefront airport, Keith Sisson from new Southern Airways Express will fly you to Destin and Gulf Shores. And Peter pays it forward with Clandestine New Orleans.

Louisiana officials are investigating a Union Pacific train derailment about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge. About 100 homes have been evacuated.

Today is the final day for the LA Swift bus. That’s the commuter bus between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, started shortly after Hurricane Katrina. It has provided transport between the cities for just a few dollars, by far the cheapest option available.

Downtown at Tulane and Loyola Avenues, Carrie Robicheaux waits for the Swift bus back to Baton Rouge, after a trip to see her New Orleans doctor. She’s taken this bus since she moved away after Katrina.