New Orleans security barriers were being replaced prior to deadly attack, officials say

Officials said security barriers along Bourbon Street had been malfunctioning and were in the process of being replaced before a man rammed his truck into a crowd of New Year's revelers in New Orleans, killing 15 of them.

The older barriers — known as bollards — were being replaced ahead of the city hosting Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, which will be played about a mile from where the attack occurred, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon. The city was able to fund its bollard replacement project through its Super Bowl infrastructure plan.

"Bollards were not up because they are near completion, with the expectation of being completed by Super Bowl — way before Super Bowl," Cantrell said.

The older bollards were installed in 2017 as part of a $40 million security plan to restrict vehicle access and protect pedestrians in the area. The city's bollards system consisted of sets of four bollards that were placed at either side of the Bourbon intersections, NOLA.com reported at the time.

The inner two columns were also able to be pushed back when unlocked by a ground-level control panel, providing about 13-foot wide berth for vehicles to navigate through, according to NOLA.com.

But the bollards began to malfunction shortly after the system was installed due to being clogged by Mardi Gras beads, Cantrell said at Wednesday's news conference.

"The New Orleans Police Department deemed them inefficient because they did not operate the way that they were intended to do," Cantrell added. "Because the city of New Orleans is hosting Super Bowl this year, it gave the city of New Orleans an opportunity to go further and deeper with infrastructure improvements."

The bollards were implemented in response to recent "vehicular attacks on pedestrian malls around the globe" and other violent incidents in the city's historic French Quarter. A 2017 report commissioned by the city of New Orleans noted that the French Quarter "is often densely packed with pedestrians and represents an area where a mass casualty incident could occur."

The report also said the area "presents a risk and target area for terrorism that the FBI has identified as a concern that the city must address."

New Orleans attack: FBI identifies driver suspected of killing 15 and injuring about 30 people

Police superintendent: 'We did indeed have a plan, but the terrorists defeated it'

Authorities said other security measures, including other barriers, patrol vehicles, and law enforcement officers, were put in place on Bourbon Street at the time of the attack. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said over the last 24 hours, there were about 400 officers deployed in the French Quarter.

Kirkpatrick noted that police had been aware of the security issues and did "harden those target areas where the bollards" were previously placed. But despite these efforts, the suspect in Wednesday's attack was able to drive around the security measures and onto the sidewalk, according to Kirkpatrick.

"We did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it," Kirkpatrick said during Wednesday's news conference.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry added that officials will address the security issues raised by the attack.

"We recognize we got a problem right here, right? We're going to fix it," Landry said. "It is going to be a top priority as we go into the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras. And the solution that we're going to come up with is going to be a permanent one, is going to be placed into the standard operating procedure of having major events and securing that quarter."

New Orleans police said the department will be ready for upcoming events by deploying resources at a level like other recent major events, such as the Taylor Swift concert. Police will also work with local, state, and federal partners to provide extensive security coverage across the city.

“Residents and visitors can expect to see a strong presence of marked and unmarked police vehicles, as well as officers on foot, bike, and horseback as part of the department’s Mounted Patrol,” Kirkpatrick said. “This increased visibility will enhance public safety, provide crowd control, and allow for rapid response to any incidents.”

Construction for new bollards began in November

Bollards are short and vertical posts that are used as barriers to manage and control vehicular or pedestrian traffic, according to metal producer The Federal Group USA. The posts are typically made of stainless steel, aluminum, or concrete.

According to the New Orleans Department of Public Works, the older bollards were being removed and replaced as part of the city's project that began in November. The old bollards had been placed on Bourbon Street, from Canal Street to St. Ann Street.

Temporary asphalt patches had been placed where the old bollards were removed to maintain vehicle access, the Department of Public Works said.

Construction work was scheduled to continue through February, which included replacing "old bollards with new removable stainless-steel bollards and sidewalk repairs at various locations," according to the department. The new bollards can also be securely locked behind each crosswalk, the department added.

"The removable bollards will help close the street to cars during pedestrian-only times but will be stored away when the street is open to all traffic," the department said.

Contributing: Darren Samuelsohn, Bart Jansen, Claire Thornton, Trevor Hughes and Michael James, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Orleans security barriers were being replaced prior to attack