Corps adjusts schedule of temporary West End Park Floodgate closure

Published June 13, 2011

NEW ORLEANS – Due to ongoing construction of the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and the Orleans Levee District, will temporarily close the West End Park floodgate on West Roadway Street on Tuesday, June 14, 2011, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The road closure will allow crews to install the gate’s mechanical closure features.

Only emergency vehicles will be permitted to cross through the floodgate during the temporary closure. The West End Park floodgate allows access to West End Park, which is located near the Orleans and Jefferson Parish boundary at the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. A vehicular detour will not be available during the closure.

Earlier this month the Corps achieved a major milestone with the attainment of 100-year risk reduction on the east bank of Orleans Parish, meaning the system in that area can now defend against a storm surge event that has a one percent chance of occurring in any given year, or a 100-year storm surge event. Construction of additional supporting features on some Orleans Parish east bank projects will continue through 2014.

Safety is the Corps’ number one priority. As construction of the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System continues, residents and commuters are reminded to use caution near active construction sites. If at any time there are questions about construction of the system, call the Corps’ toll free Construction Hotline at 877-427-0345.

Contact
Nancy Allen
504-862-2080
nancy.e.allen@usace.army.mil

Release no. 11-047