Posted on June 13, 2024
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded a contract for elevating 21 residential homes in Vermillion and Calcasieu Parishes.
The contract was awarded on June 7, 2024, to Wingate Engineers LLC of New Orleans, Louisiana in the amount of $4,997,880.00. This contract is part of the Southwest Louisiana Coastal project to provide coastal storm risk management through non-structural measures including structure elevation. Residential structures will be elevated to the 100-year base flood elevation.
The current schedule estimates the properties to be elevated will begin the design and construction phase in August of 2024. The contract duration is 245 days from Notice to Proceed.
Senior Project Managers Micki Meier, Rock Island District and Darrel Broussard, New Orleans District said, “This Project is an incredible step forward to providing Nonstructural Coastal Storm Risk Management to Louisiana’s Southwest Coastal region. This project is paving the way for several other projects around the Country and will greatly improve the communities directly impacted by coastal events.”
The purpose of the Southwest Coastal Project is to implement localized storm surge risk reduction features to reduce hurricane storm surge damage risks to structures in Cameron, Calcasieu, and Vermilion Parishes. Nearly 4,000 structures were identified as preliminarily eligible in the 2016 Final Feasibility Study. Qualifying residential structures will be elevated approximately 5 feet on average. Additionally, 342 non-residential structures will be considered for dry-flood proofing to three feet above ground and berm construction for 157 warehouses will be considered less than or equal to 6 feet above the ground.
To read more about the project or verify that your property is eligible, visit the project website here: https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/swcoastal/ or call the project hotline at (877) 814-2539.
