Posted on August 31, 2026
NEW ORLEANS — As part of Assistant Secretary of the Army’s “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork in Action: Gulf of America Week,” a groundbreaking ceremony was held Aug. 27, 2026 to mark the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ start of construction for 31 breakwaters along Grand Isle’s shoreline.
Grand Isle is Louisiana’s largest and last inhabited barrier island. Barrier islands are critical natural coastal features that reduce storm damage and coastal erosion for the mainland areas behind the islands as well as support marine fisheries, biodiversity and coastal economies. USACE has repaired the extensive storm damage to the existing federal project experienced during recent tropical weather events, such as Hurricane Ida, and added six breakwaters to the western side of the island near Caminada Pass. The upcoming construction will complete the effort to provide greater resiliency to the island.
“Within one week of being confirmed by the U.S. Senate, I was on the ground here in Grand Isle. Following that visit, it became a priority of mine to cut through the red tape to move this project forward,” said Adam Telle, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. “We could not have had better partners than the State of Louisiana and its Congressional delegation in working to deliver the Administration’s commitment to get this project started right now.”
Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council Emily Domenech echoed the Administration’s sense of urgency in delivering these projects.
“Under ASA Telle’s leadership, the Army Corps has never been more effective,” said Domenech. “This administration understands the urgency of turning dirt on projects like these, that protect our people, our coast, and our nation’s critical infrastructure, and we will not let federal bureaucracy be the hold up to defending life and property. The Permitting Council is proud to partner with the Army Corps, and we will continue to ensure that projects of all kinds can be built quickly and efficiently, while upholding our best in the world of environmental standards.”
The breakwaters are designed to improve the resiliency of hurricane and storm damage features on the island as well as reduce beach erosion by reducing wave action along the barrier island’s Gulf-facing shoreline. The new breakwaters will close a 3-mile gap between existing features on the east and western ends of the island. Each breakwater will be approximately 250-feet long and rise roughly six feet above the surface of the water. Construction will require the placement of 260,000 tons of stone. The $51 million effort is being conducted with federal funding.
“Today’s groundbreaking is a major achievement in our flood protection efforts to ensure Grand Isle families and coastal areas have the protection they deserve. I’m proud to have negotiated the Grand Isle Breakwater Project authorization to help prevent erosion, rebuild the island, and renourish the beaches that are our first line of defense against hurricanes. I look forward to seeing this project completed to protect lives and homes in south Louisiana for many years to come,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Construction of the breakwaters is anticipated to be completed by the peak of hurricane season 2027. David Camardelle, Mayor of Grand Isle, summed up his community’s commitment to the project and the island.
