Updates on The Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children’s Hospital

Project Details

• Green Space and Neighborhood Amenities Rendering

  

  As part of this project, Ochsner will develop a new neighborhood pocket park at River Road and Deckbar, providing green space for the community to enjoy. The project also includes a pedestrian crossing to the Mississippi River levee walking path, and enhanced landscaping and walkability along Deckbar. We’ve heard neighbors’ desires for more housing, retail, and food options in the area; and we are exploring how to develop the west side of Deckbar for these purposes in the future.

• Trees

  

  • Ochsner has been working with professional arborists to create a plan that prioritizes maintaining trees and adding new trees.
  • The updated landscaping plan meets CPZ requirements.
  • Of the fourteen (14) oak trees that are on the site, eight (8) oak trees will not be impacted by this project.
  • Six (6) oak trees will be removed and replaced with six (6) substantial, 12-inch oak trees.
  • The historic oak tree, sometimes referred to as Big Betz, will be protected in the future.

  

  The trees that must be removed will be replaced with mature 12-inch oak trees, like this one.

• Drainage

  

  • The proposed drainage improvements associated with the Children's hospital project will add significant subsurface storage on the south side of Jefferson Hwy.
  • The proposed drainage improvements exceed Jefferson Parish requirements and provide benefit to the surrounding areas.
  • Combined, the increased culvert capacity and the added subsurface detention system capacity will retain 435,433 gallons below grade (underground) and reduce peak flow runoff at Area Outfall 1 by approx. 52% and Area Outfall 2 by approx. 9.3%.
  • An example of this volume of retainage would be roughly 1 foot over the area of a football field.
  • By holding a significant amount of rainwater underground on our campus, we are slowing the flow into the drainage system to prevent flooding.

• Traffic

  

  • The updated traffic plan was developed in consultation with Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and was awarded a letter of compliance from DOTD.
  • To ensure efficient traffic flow, Deckbar will be widened, and a series of new turn lanes will be incorporated at the intersections of Jefferson Highway and Deckbar as well as River Road and Deckbar.
  • The traffic analysis evaluated numerous scenarios (time of day, timing of signals, volume of cars, etc.) to create the best traffic plan.
  • The plan contemplates the projected volume of car trips once the project is complete.