New Orleans officials have announced plans to preserve the recently damaged I-10 ramp near Airline Highway as a permanent structure, rebranded as a “modern ruin.”
The ramp, compromised after a garbage truck wedged itself into the support beams like a raccoon in a vending machine, was initially scheduled for emergency repairs. However, after what city planners described as “weeks of spirited hand-wringing,” the decision was made to instead protect the wreckage as a symbol of the city’s enduring resilience through disrepair.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said interim Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Transportation Artifacts, Jean-Paul LaFontaine. “We could fix it… or we could celebrate it.Rome has the Colosseum. Athens has the Parthenon. Atlanta has a ghost town stadium with a Chick-fil-A that’s closed on Sundays. We have this.”. It’s something to be proud of… at least until my term is up.”
This also isn’t the first time the city has opted to preserve a collapsed structure rather than deal with it. Officials point to the Hard Rock Hotel site, which was famously given “historic pile” status, effectively halting all cleanup and demolition in favor of memorializing failure. That designation sparked a surprising spike in disaster tourism and allowed the city to indefinitely delay any actual decision-making. “We learned a lot from that,” said one official. “Mainly, if you wait long enough, inaction becomes heritage.”
“This is a proud moment for the city,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell on a Zoom call from an undisclosed location, whose administration has been working tirelessly over the last several months to delay making any real decisions. “The designation of Le Garbâge Truqué du Pointe helps showcase to the world just how much culture and character New Orleeeens has.
“It’s an incredible honor to preserve such a significant site indefinitely, ensuring that no one, especially a very important and extremely busy mayor, is ever forced to decide what to actually do about it.”
The I-10 ramp will be renamed Le Garbâge Truqué du Pointe, complete with a commemorative marker, a designated area for “reflection and fumes,” and a seasonal jazz component currently stuck in permitting. The city also hopes to partner with local artists to project inspirational quotes onto the crumpled beams every evening at sunset, though it appears citizens are already ahead of schedule.
Visitors will be able to take guided tours beneath the wreckage, where they’ll learn about both the structural damage and the socio-economic forces that led to the indefinite delay in repairs. “We’re calling it immersive civil engineering,” said LaFontaine. “Very hands-on. Hopefully not too hands-on.”
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) initially balked at the plan but quickly reversed course after realizing it might reduce their workload by one.
“Look, the damaged I-10 ramp is the first project we’ve completed ahead of schedule,” said a DOTD spokesperson. “We’re not entirely sure what happens next, honestly.”