Montegut, LA – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and federal, state and local officials celebrated the start of construction for a new Humble Canal Floodgate today, marking the first segment of the critical 98-mile Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Risk Reduction System to be built with federal dollars.
The Corps is funding the Humble Canal preload project with $12 million from New Start funding approved by the federal government in January 2020. Local company Onshore Materials, LLC has been awarded a $6.2 million contract for this preload phase, which includes site preparation and construction of aprons to tie existing levees to the new Humble Canal Floodgate slated for construction next.
“The $12.5 million Humble Canal Gate Site Preparation and Initial Levee Preload is the first federal construction feature of the Morganza to the Gulf Project, and it is certainly not the last,” said Col. Cullen Jones, Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District.
“Earlier this year, the Administration and Congress made an even greater commitment to increasing the federal role by including nearly $380 million in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law specifically for construction of Morganza to the Gulf. We are working to move these funds into construction, which will include levee reaches and floodgates, such as the one on Humble Canal. This a priority project and the Corps will leverage all the capabilities needed to deliver on Congress and the Administration’s commitment to the people of south Louisiana,” Col. Jones said.
“Today represents the first federal money coming in to strengthen protection for Morganza to the Gulf, a highly successful project that’s going to protect hundreds of thousands of people here in south Louisiana who deserve that protection and all of the energy infrastructure that benefits the entire country and our allies around the world,” said Republican Whip Steve Scalise.
“People living in and around Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes are another step closer to having the protection they deserve against major storms, and it’s critical that the work doesn’t stop here,” said Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Chairman Chip Kline. “The progress being made on Morganza to the Gulf is the result of the commitments made by the federal, state and local partners who understand the urgency of completing this project. Once complete, the Morganza system will become the model for risk reduction, restoration, and resiliency for coastal communities across the nation.”
“This is a historic day for our coastal region. After nearly $1 billion in local and state funds invested in Morganza, and thirty years of local and state efforts to secure federal investment in this regional levee system for Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, we are excited to now have the Corps as a funding partner,” said Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District Executive Director Reggie Dupre. “The Corps’ investment in the Humble Canal Floodgate and over $380 million for other segments is crucial to completing the Morganza to the Gulf system and providing the flood protection our 200,000 residents and businesses need and deserve.”
