The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, recently awarded a contract to construct a floodwall on top of the existing Mississippi River levee in Plaquemines Parish from Augusta to Oakville, LA.
The project is a part of the Resilient Features Westbank and Vicinity (WBV), Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS). It provides risk reduction from riverine flood events and from a hurricane event that has a 1% chance of occurring each year.
The $34.5 million project was awarded to FEDCON Joint Venture and was awarded in early December 2013. The expected completion date is October 2015.
The average elevation of the floodwalls and levees along the WBV-MRL will range from 22.5 feet to 24.5 feet. The approximate elevation of the floodwall alone will be eight feet.
The West Bank & Vicinity (WBV) project is defined as the risk reduction features on the west bank of the Mississippi River in St. Charles, Jefferson, Orleans and Plaquemines parishes. Construction of the West Bank & Vicinity project starts at the Mississippi River Levee in Ama in St. Charles Parish and ends at the Mississippi River levee in Oakville in Plaquemines Parish.
The Corps continues to work closely with its partners in Plaquemines Parish government on the construction of risk reduction projects in the parish.
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Press Release, December 12, 2013