Major milestone reached as last Jefferson Parish East Bank contract is awarded

NEW ORLEANS – A major milestone was reached this week when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, awarded the final construction contract for the Jefferson Parish, East Bank portion of the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System, which stretches from the 17^th Street Canal along the Lakefront to the St. Charles/Jefferson Parish line tying into the levee just south of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

“The team has now awarded the 16th and final construction contract for the east bank of Jefferson Parish,” said Brett Herr, branch chief. “Construction of this portion of the system is in full swing and we are well on our way to having physical features in place to reduce risk for residents and businesses in this area.”

Progressive Construction Co., a small business from Alexandria, LA was awarded the approximately $1.85 million contract to improve the levee at the west end of the east/west runway of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Prior to completing the enlargement of the levee, two airport runway landing lights currently in that area will need to be relocated. This work will be performed under a separate contract to be awarded by the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Approximately 95 percent of the 9.1 miles of East Jefferson Parish's perimeter levees have been raised to the 100-year risk reduction elevations with construction on all five lakefront levee reaches nearing completion. The breakwaters at Bonnabel Pump Station and Duncan Pump Station are substantially complete, and the floodgates and floodwalls at Bonnabel and Williams Boulevard are approximately 95 percent complete.

The contract for fronting protection at the four pump stations along the Jefferson Parish Lakefront was awarded and construction is underway. The contract to improve risk reduction at the Causeway Boulevard peninsula was also awarded; however, the work is delayed. Both contracts to replace the West Return Floodwall along the Jefferson/St. Charles Parish line have been awarded and work will begin in the coming month. Two contracts to extend the flood side berm of the Lakefront levees a short distance into Lake Pontchartrain, and to place rock along the new shoreline to prevent erosion, were recently awarded.