Members of St. Charles Parish, with the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CRPA), celebrated the completion of construction for the Paradis Canal Gate, a major part of Parish’s West Bank Hurricane Protection Levee project.
The gate will help to provide flood protection for residents in the Magnolia Ridge watershed and prevent storm surges coming from Lake Salvador.
“I cannot overstate how important this project is to the residents, businesses, and industries of the West Bank of St. Charles Parish,” says Matt Jewell, parish president. “I want to thank Governor Edwards and CPRA for their commitment to seeing this project through. Without their support, we would not be celebrating this accomplishment today.”
The completed project consists of a new motorized vertical lift gated system, a sheet pile wall that ties-in the Magnolia Ridge and Sunset levees, and cage ladders for access and operation of the gates. Completion of the project will offer protection to St. Charles Parish residents outside of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hurricane Storm Damage Risk Reduction System.
This project was the first to be completed using funds awarded through the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) Parish Matching Opportunities Program, which uses post-BP Spill Impact Component funds to assist parishes with eligible projects.
“This vital project is exactly what we envisioned when we put out the call for applicants to the Parish Matching Opportunities Program,” says Chip Kline, CPRA chairman. “Combining our state and local resources to fund projects like this one will allow us to continue to move toward the goals laid out in the Coastal Master Plan and expedite projects that offer crucial flood protection to all Louisianans living along our coast.”
A contract for the Paradis Canal Gate project was awarded to Sealevel Construction Inc., a heavy civil construction company located in Thibodaux, La.
