Louisiana is planning to build a covered walkway on the front steps of the state Capitol building by the end of the year over concerns that bits of the building might fall off and hurt a visitor, WBRZ-TV reports.
If the state wants to fully restore the entire front of the building, it will cost Louisiana $80 million. That funding would have to be approved by state lawmakers. Â
The front door to the Louisiana Capitol has been closed for almost three years because of worries that mortar would fall from the art deco building onto people using it. The covered walkway will allow people to start using the front entrance of the building again, without fear of being hit by a piece of mortar.
A team of workers on scaffolding spent months this year repointing mortar, honing limestone, and restoring historic decorations. The “pilot program” only extended to the to the first six floors and didn’t include the legislative chambers.
