NEW ORLEANS – As part of ongoing construction of the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Team New Orleans, with its partners at the St. Bernard Parish Government, the Lake Borgne Basin Levee District and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, will shift traffic on Highway 39 on Friday, April 22, near the St. Bernard and Plaquemines parish boundary, back to its original alignment.
“We shifted the alignment of Hwy 39 south so we could safely construct the frame for a 24-foot steel trolley gate which will defend against a storm surge event that has a one percent chance of occurring in any given year,” said Chris Gilmore, senior project manager for St. Bernard Parish risk reduction projects. “The frame is now complete and is ready for installation of the gate, which is on scheduled to take place the first week of May.”
The Corps shifted the lane in the fall of 2010 so crews could construct the frame for the gate. This is the final traffic shift that will be required for construction of the Hwy 39 gate.
This project, known as Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity 149, consists of constructing a new concrete floodwall and three floodgates. It is on schedule to be completed by June 1, 2011.
Lane shifts are necessary to ensure public safety during construction and to meet the Corps’ operational goal of providing 100-year risk reduction for the 2011 hurricane season. Commuters should use caution when entering and existing construction zones.
Questions and comments related to road closures and construction impacts may be addressed to the Corps’ Construction Impacts Hotline at 877-427-0345.
Release no. 11-085