Posted on May 31, 2023
The dredging of New River has reached its eastern terminus, the weir located behind Gonzales’ Walmart. The project, improving one of Ascension’s primary drainage arteries over 2.7 miles with ancillary benefits to Bayou Goudine stretching well into north Ascension Parish, also envision replacement of the decades-old weir with a control structure.
The project began, after much legal wrangling between the top two bidders for the job, when Parish President Clint Cointment pushed the measure to have in-house personnel replace another rock weir located west at the confluence of New River and Smith Bayou…
in June of 2021. That was followed by dredging half-a-mile or so of New River’s westernmost channel by the parish as President Cointment took advantage of a declared State of Emergency. It would be another six months before it became apparent that the initial bid, awarded to Bridging the Gap, LLC, would have to be rescinded for the company’s inability or unwillingness to perform. The bid went to Boone Services, LLC.
Digging from west-to-east, Boone Services commenced…
Eventually entering the City of Gonzales where six roads bridged New River, complicating the process as it became more difficult to position equipment for dredging.
Now it is left to remove and replace the weir.
