While other downtowns struggle, New Orleans getting billions in investment

Much has been said about the decline of the American "downtown," but a key local business booster says New Orleans's downtown is benefiting from billions of dollars in investments. And GNO Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht says the timing couldn't be better.

In less than ten months, the city hosts Super Bowl LIX, and Hecht says a lot of money is being pumped downtown, or very near to it.

"There's been about $3.5 billion that is either has been invested or is going to be invested in downtown New Orleans," Hecht told WWL's Newell Normand. "Between the half-billion dollars in the Superdome, the Charity redevelopment which is going to go forward despite some press that it's gotten recently, The River District, which is going forward."

Hecht says each new project in downtown encourages investors for the next one.

"There's billions being invested in upgrading our downtown, and that's kind of contagious," said Hecht. "I don't know that Caesars happens if the Four Season doesn't happen, for example, so I'm really pleased to see it going forward."