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Construction is well along on the centerpiece of the Corps' Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion Project.   Click on all photos to view larger images. The $106 million Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion Structure Project (above) will divert up to 10,800 cubic feet per second of fresh Mississippi River water to provide fresh water and nutrients to aid wetlands the size of Rhode Island. In this view, water will flow from right to left. The 580-foot structure will be crossed by the mainline levee, La. Highway 18 and three tracks of Union Pacific Railroad. Diversion begins in the spring of 2001
Looking west (upstream) along the Mississippi River over the Diversion Structure site. The mainline Mississippi River Levee is broken in the middle of the picture, and an earthen cofferdam (built to mainline levee standards) circles out to the right around the construction area. Note the LA State Highway 18 and the Union Pacific RR detours on the left side of the picture. When construction is completed, the road and the railroad will be returned to their original grade and alignment over the diversion structure. The concrete for the floor of the structure is at approximate elevation -14 feet, and the approximate river elevation was at +12 feet when this picture was taken in early June. A dewatering system is maintained to keep the excavation dry. The I-310 (Hale Boggs) bridge is in the far right background. The diversion structure contract is a $13 million contract.		Looking west over the US 90 bridge relocation contract. The four lanes of US Highway 90 are detoured to the left of the picture while the bridge over the proposed outflow channel is being built. The large pile of sand in the mid-foreground is a preload for the approach ramp to the bridge, required because of the soft, wet, compressible nature of the soils in the area. The bridge is being constructed where the cranes are, and the outflow channel is just to the right of the cranes. This is an $8.5 million contract. The Ponding Area is immediately to the left, and the Mississippi River is two miles to the right. A 570 cubic feet per second storm drainage pumping station is in the far left background. It was constructed to mitigate for the interruption of storm drainage in a partly residential, partly agricultural area. The Pumping Station was another $7 million contract.
Looking south from the Mississippi River over the Diversion Structure Site. Looking south from the Mississippi River over the Diversion Structure site toward the Ponding Area, in the background. The outflow channel in the right mid-background is broken by the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe RR bridge contract. The US 90 bridge contract is in the right background.     SEE RELATED LINKS: Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion Structure Davis Pond - Construction Contract Information News Photos - Davis Pond, LA Construction		The detour for the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad. The sandy area running from the top left to the bottom right is the “shoofly,” or soon-to-be detour for the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad while a bridge is being built over the proposed outflow channel, which can barely be seen at the upper right corner of the picture. When the bridge is completed, the railroad will be back on its original grade and alignment, crossing over the outflow channel. This is a $7 million contract.

 

The POC for this page: Kathy Gibbs, CEMVN-PA Chief, Public Affairs Office New Orleans,LA 504-862-2201 Fax: 504-862-1724 Kathy.Gibbs@usace.army.mil Page last updated: June 15, 2004