It’s a major step forward in flood protection for the West Bank. Thursday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is installing a massive sector gate at the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex. It’ll take 24 hours for the 750 ton steel-gate to be set into place. When complete the 225-foot wide floodgate will tie into a pumping station to protect against the 100 year storm surge.
The West Closure Complex is a major component in a larger plan to protect the West Bank. The nearly 1 billion dollar project also includes floodwalls, foreshore protection, an earthen levee and dredging of the Algiers canal. Construction began in 2009 and is about 2/3’s complete. Most of it is being paid for with post-Katrina federal dollars.
( neworleans )
[mappress]
Source: neworleans, March 11, 2011