NEW ORLEANS – The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded a $49.6 million contract to construct a new floodwall alignment and sector gate across the Caernarvon Canal in St. Bernard Parish. The contract was awarded to New Jersey-based Conti Federal Services, Inc. on June 15. The project will reduce impacts from a storm surge event that has a one percent chance of occurring in any given year.
"This is one of the most significant milestones yet in St. Bernard Parish," St. Bernard President Craig P. Taffaro, Jr. said. "This last contract award enables us to fully move to construction on the entire St. Bernard portion of the system. I want to thank our partners in the Corps of Engineers for all of their support in this rebuilding process."
The new floodwall will tie into the Verret to Caernarvon levee on the eastern side of the Caernarvon Canal and the Mississippi River levee system on the western side. The project also includes construction of floodgates across Highway 39 and the Norfolk Southern railroad crossing.
“We have a tremendous task ahead of us in St. Bernard to construct three surge gates, four railroad or highway gates and 23 miles of floodwall in the next 12 months,” said Col. Robert Sinkler, Commander of the Hurricane Protection Office. “We will be constructing two miles of concrete and steel floodwall per month to meet our operational goal of finishing all key features of the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System by June 2011.”
Major construction is expected to begin next month and will take approximately ten months to complete from the date of notice to proceed.
Release no. 10-070