NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — An estimated $1.27 billion is what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects is needed to update the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain hurricane and storm damage risk reduction system.
The project will authorize levee elevations and complete the systems pump stations drainage structures. For environmental impact mitigation efforts and future levee lifts which will maintain the 50-year design, an additional $1.7 billion is needed.
“An increase in project cost has become common throughout the Nation, for not only Corps of Engineers constructed projects, but also for goods and services due to ongoing supply chain issues,” said New Orleans District Commander Col. Cullen Jones.
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 committed $760 million in funding to construct the storm damage risk reduction system. Since then, more than $100 million have been applied to active construction of three levee reaches and performed pile load tests at the site of new pumping stations.
“We will continue to press forward in completing the ongoing work as well as awarding new construction contracts while simultaneously pursuing every option for securing additional funds required to deliver this system that will reduce hurricane storm damage risk for more than 60,000 residents in St. Charles, St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes,” said Jones.
The remaining funds will be used to award five construction contracts by fiscal year 2024.
The total project cost of $3.7 billion will include:
- Future Levee Lifts – To maintain the elevations needed for the 1% level of risk reduction, the earthen levees will require periodic lifts. This increased quantity of levee material represents an increased cost of approximately $1.3 billion.
- Pump Stations – A key design component of the WSLP is the construction of two pump stations. This increase in pumping capacity as well as the incorporation of corrosion lessons learned resulted in an increase of approximately $350 million.
- Mitigation: The initial 2014 cost for mitigation increased by approximately $700 million.
- Additional costs: Additional factors such as inflation, updated labor market considerations, relocations, and initial construction of levees and floodwalls contributed to the cost increase of approximately $650 million.
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