commentThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, has awarded a contract to construct the northern portion of the West Return Floodwall.
The floodwall runs along the St. Charles and Jefferson parish boundary on the east bank of the Mississippi River.
The floodwall is an integral part of the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System and will reduce risk for residents and businesses in Jefferson Parish from a storm surge event that has a 1 percent chance of occurring each year.
“This contract calls for construction of a new, stronger concrete T-wall to be built at a higher elevation slightly to the west of the existing wall,” said Rebecca Constance, project manager. “The current West Return Floodwall does not meet the Corps’ new design standards, which were revised after the 2005 hurricane season.”
The contract was awarded to Odebrecht/Johnson Brothers, a joint venture based in Coral Gables, Fla.
The plan is to raise and construct approximately 3 mi of floodwalls to elevation + 17 to 17.5 ft. The project area runs from the north side of Interstate 10 along the Jefferson/St. Charles parish line to the Lakefront levee on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
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