Protecting the Citizens of New Orleans

Rebuilding T-Walls Surrounding Lake Pontchartrain

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Plaquemines Parish, south of the City of New Orleans. Katrina was moving with Category 5 strength less than twelve hours prior to landfall and generated a 28-foot storm surge and 55-foot waves. Approximately 80% of New Orleans was flooded to depths exceeding 15 feet in many areas. Surge and waves caused 50 major levee breaches in the regional Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System, 34 of the city’s 71 pumping stations were damaged, and 169 of the system’s 350 miles of protective structures were compromised.

Project Details

As part of the New Orleans 100-year storm protection plan, this project provides flood protection along the southern bank of Lake Pontchartrain adjacent to the Lakefront Airport. This project was constructed immediately adjacent to an operational highway, with overpasses and crossings, and within an active railroad right-of-way, requiring extensive security clearances and daily coordination with railroad operations. The reach is approximately 7,100′ long and work included replacing approximately 5,200′ of existing I-wall with a new T-Wall. A short section (1,900′) of earthen embankment was raised by the construction of an I-Wall on top of the existing earthen levee. The existing levee and I-Wall were raised to an elevation of 15.5′ to provide protection in line with the 100-year level of risk reduction.