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What’s going on with the barricades on the State Capitol steps?


While State Capitol visitors are usually able to climb up, jog on and take photos along the iconic entrance steps, for several months now they’ve been greeted by a row of metal barricades and “keep out” signs.

Steel barricades were placed on the steps about 60 feet from the Capitol’s main entrance in January 2016 after the inauguration of Gov. John Bel Edwards.

They were put up to keep visitors safe from bits of falling limestone, Facility Planning and Control Assistant Director Billy Wilson says.

Starting this summer, the 85-year-old Capitol building will be under construction for about a year to address the issue, State Policy and Communication Director Jacques Berry says.

While the building is being fixed, visitors can enter using either one of the two side entrances.

Visiting the State Capitol is free and open to the public 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily, except on major holidays.


This article was originally published in the March 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.