One of the French Quarter's most iconic historic blocks has been transformed into a mess of dirt, fences and cones, irking local business owners, neighborhood advocates, and tourists as construction crews prepare to expand their work to other parts of the neighborhood in the coming months.

The more than $9 million project to replace 115-year-old water mains on St. Peter and Decatur streets is expected to take a year to complete, said Ceara Labat, a spokesperson for the Sewerage and Water Board, which is leading the French Quarter Transmission Main Project.

The normally bustling block of St. Peter Street near Jackson Square was reduced to rubble in mid-July. The towering fences — which have left the street and intersections impassible to cars, with narrow pedestrian walkways on either s

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