Authority
The official, authorized name of the project is “Mississippi River, Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, Louisiana, New Industrial Canal Lock and Connecting Channels Project.”  It is commonly referred to as the IHNC (Inner Harbor Navigation Canal) Lock Replacement Study.

Replacement of the IHNC Lock was authorized in Public Law 455, Chapter 112, 84th Congress, 2nd Session, approved March 29, 1956.  Subsequent to the 1956 legislation, the project was modified by Section 844 of the Water Resources Development Acts (WRDA) of 1986 (established cost sharing requirements) and was amended by Section 326 of the WRDA of 1996 (authorizing the Community Impact Mitigation Plan).  The project was then modified by Section 5083 of WRDA 2007 (authorizing a transportation mitigation plan).

About the IHNC lock
The IHNC and lock were built in 1923.  The IHNC Lock is located in the Industrial Canal which runs through a highly urbanized area within the New Orleans city limits. The lock provides critical water passage for shipping in the U.S. It joins Lake Pontchartrain to the north with the Mississippi River to the south, some of the busiest and most important waterways for the US economy.  The IHNC Lock allows boats, ships and other vessels, assisted by tug boats, to pass from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) to the Mississippi River.  The lock saves vessels 17 days of transit time.

The lock is now over 100 years old, and two primary issues have arisen: maintenance costs and transit time.  Because of the age of the lock, maintenance has become more frequent and expensive.  Frequent maintenance causes transit delays. The size of barge tows have increased, with many tows having four or more barges towed together.  To move through the lock, the barges must be separated, with one-two barges moving through the lock at a time single file, then repeating the locking process for the remaining barges, and reconnecting the tow on the opposite site.  The entire process can take up to 16 hours.

Project Purpose

The purpose of the IHNC Replacement project is to replace the aging lock, and in doing so, to improve navigation vessel transit times in a manner that is environmentally acceptable and economically justified, without inducing a negative impact to the existing flood risk reduction and hurricane storm damage risk reduction structures and their respective authorized levels of risk reduction.

To better handle today’s navigation needs, the project would replace the existing lock within the Industrial Canal to create a modern, reliable and more efficient water passage; re-align flood walls and other flood risk management infrastructure in the project area as necessary; and replace the St. Claude Avenue bridge over the Industrial Canal

The project is currently in the midst of an integrated general re-evaluation and supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) update, which includes updated designs, further consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act and an Amended Memorandum of Agreement (AMOA), development of an updated Community Impact Mitigation Plan (CIMP), and development of the Transportation Mitigation Program (TMP.

The current Recommended Plan for the IHNC Lock replacement includes:

• A new shallow draft lock structure approximately 2,400ft north of existing lock
• A new floodwall and levee structures tying into the existing floodwall, levee and the new lock
• Replacement of the St. Claude Avenue bridge

The CIMP will identify potential measures to mitigate direct and indirect effects of the lock replacement project to the neighborhoods adjacent to the project.  The CIMP was authorized WRDA, 1996, SEC. 326. 

A video of the project was developed that shows the IHNC, lock and surrounding area, and discusses the community mitigation opportunities authorized by Congress (IHNC Community Opportunities Plan of Action on Vimeo)

The Corps held two phases of engagements with members of the communities adjacent to the IHNC, with the assistance of a contract team made of CDM Smith and Bright Moments.  These engagements were themed Community Opportunities Plan of Action: Unlocking Community Opportunities.  These engagements focused on stakeholder understanding of the current IHNC Lock Replacement Project, and the changes made in response to stakeholder concerns; understanding of the impacts that will require mitigation. And gathering ideas to mitigate direct and indirect project impacts

A virtual Gather Room (https://gather.cdmsmith.com/v/YbjN3GAnqA7) was developed that provided visitors with project information and an opportunity to provide input. Listening sessions were held in August 2023.  New Orleans District Project staff was invited by the Lower 9 Festival organizers to participate at the event with a booth which provided attendees with the current status and information on the Project, a QR Code and link to the virtual Gather Room, as well as an opportunity to provide feedback to the Project staff.  Four public meetings were held in December 2023. Over the course of the engagements 259 people attended, and 136 entered the virtual Gather room.

In addition to the Community Opportunities Plan of Action engagements, the Corps has conducted small scale meetings with community leaders.

The Transportation Mitigation Program (TMP) will seek to avoid or lessen traffic and transportation impacts that would occur as a result of construction and use of the recommended IHNC Lock, The TMP will identify impact avoidance, minimization, and mitigation features to be implemented concurrently with the construction and operation of the new lock.  The TMP was authorized in WRDA 2007, SEC. 5083. 

The output of the general reevaluation study will be confirmation of the recommended plan for the lock replacement project. Anticipated completion is Fall 2025

The AMOA is in partial fulfilment of USACE obligations under Section 106 and Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended.

USACE has determined that the replacement of the IHNC Lock will adversely affect historic properties listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Consequently, USACE negotiated and developed an MOA entitled Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) Lock Replacement Project, which was executed in 2000 among the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation (ACHP), the New Orleans District, Louisiana State Historic Preservation Officer (LA SHPO), and Port of New Orleans for the IHNC Lock Replacement Study. Subsequently, design changes to the Recommended Plan require USACE to re-initiate Section 106 consultation to develop an AMOA for the lock replacement project. The AMOA will include stipulations to mitigate for the adverse effects to historic properties and govern other aspects of the undertaking. USACE’s responsibilities under Section 106 for the replacement of the IHNC Lock will be satisfied upon completion of the specified treatment measures outlined in the AMOA.

Have a question, comment or concern? Please click here to send the project team an email.

Or send us an email at ihnclockreplacement@usace.army.mil.