(The Center Square) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday a contract worth more than $400 million was awarded for to build several projects tied to the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction project.
Included in the construction is added levee wall, two pump stations, two drainage structures, a navigation gate and a flood wall beneath Interstate 55. The Army Corps awarded the $419.7 million contract April 2 to Pittman-SeaLevel of St. Rose for work in St. John the Baptist Parish
The project was originally tied to $760 million from the 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act, but the Corps said in 2023 that the certified total project cost had risen to $3.7 billion.
Of that, about $1.27 billion more was needed to deliver the authorized system, with another $1.7 billion tied to future levee lifts and environmental mitigation.
The Corps now says the project includes 18.5 miles of levees, 11 flood walls, seven drainage structures, five gates, two pump stations and a bridge, with construction in St. John and St. Charles slated for completion in early 2030.
“This award represents a pivotal milestone as the final major construction contract in St. John the Baptist Parish for the West Shore of Lake Pontchartrain project,” said Col. Scotty Autin, New Orleans District Commander. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering this critical infrastructure, collaborating closely with our partners to enhance public safety and safeguard the long-term stability of the region.”
The project, as the Corps notes, is meant to protect residents from storm surges, not general flooding from rainwater. A storm surge happens when hurricanes force water toward the shore and into bays, lakes, canals and low-lying land.
“While these features will reduce risk from storm surge associated with tropical events, they do not specifically reduce risk of flooding from significant rainfall,” the Corps said in a statement.
The Corps says 11 of 14 construction contracts have been awarded and the remaining three are scheduled through summer 2027, with completion in early 2030.
Though the contract is in St. John the Baptist Parish, the broader project will serve communities like LaPlace, Reserve, Garyville, Lutcher and Gramercy. The Corps and CPRA say more than 60,000 residents stand to benefit, and the project was justified in part by Hurricane Isaac flooding that inundated thousands of homes and major evacuation routes.
