NEW ORLEANS — A usually bustling stretch of the French Quarter is now hidden behind fences and cones, and some local business owners say they're already feeling the impact.

The work is part of the French Quarter Transmission Main Project, a major infrastructure effort led by the Sewerage and Water Board (SWB). Delta Utilities is also doing some of the work. Crews are replacing water mains along Decatur and St. Peter, with the goal of improving the city’s aging water infrastructure.

Currently, fences line several blocks — stretching from Orleans and Royal to the other side of that intersection, and from St. Peter at Royal all the way to Chartres. It’s a highly trafficked area, now significantly less accessible to foot traffic and tourists.

“Tourism is already down. We already are having

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