NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will award Lafayette construction company, EvCo Development, LLC, a contract for levee work to be done in three Louisiana parishes.

On Aug. 25, the corps will award the over $22.3 million contract to start work on the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction project.

The company will construct the fourth levee running approximately 1.5 miles long with an elevation of 8.6 feet.

The levee will provide a 100-year risk reduction to the area.

“The award for constructing the fourth levee reach on the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction project solidifies USACE’s commitment to providing risk reduction to more than 60,000 people in the St. John the Baptist, St. James and St. Charles Parish,” said New Orleans District Commander Col. Cullen A. Jones.

The WSLP will consist of a variety of structural and non-structural features such as levees, floodwalls and pumps. Officials say this will likely reduce the risk of storm surges from tropical events but not flooding risks from heavy rainfall.

The work will be done in partnership with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and Pontchartrain Levee District to provide crucial protection for the tri-parish area.

For more information on the project, visit the Army Corps of Engineers website.

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