Levee District board delays decision on next phase of Bayou Chene work

The next phase of the Bayou Chene flood control project will have to wait a week to get underway.

The only bid submitted for Phase Three of the project, designed to provide a permanent way to prevent back-flooding on the bayou, was about $2 million above the engineer’s estimate. So the St. Mary Parish Levee District is taking another week to try and work something out, Director Tim Matte said.

Phase Three includes the construction of a barge gate and its fitting into a flood wall. The construction of the wall, which is set to begin soon, is Phase Two.

During normal bayou levels, the barge will rest along one of the bayou’s banks. When the bayou floods, the barge will be swung into place on a pivot.

The engineer’s estimate for the cost of Phase Three was about $20.1 million. Thibodaux-based Sealevel Construction Inc.’s bid on the work was $22.7 million.

The Levee District board decided Thursday to make a final decision at a special meeting May 21.

In the meantime, the district will meet with Sealevel to see if they can agree on ways to reduce costs or finish the work sooner than the 500-day contract time, Matte said.

The 500 days would take the project beyond the 2021 high water season, which would make the work cost more, Matte said. That means reducing the duration of construction might result in savings.

Sealevel already has the contract for Phase Two and is gathering materials and preparing to begin construction on that part of the work, Matte said.

The Bayou Chene project is expected to cost $80 million. Its purpose is to prevent the need to sink a barge in Bayou Chene to east back-flooding, a remedy that has been used three times since 2011. The sunken barge fix costs millions with each deployment.

Phases One and Four call for construction of a levee along Tabor Canal.

The permanent flood control structure was a solution favored by St. Mary officials for years until, during last year’s long-lasting flood, state officials announced that $80 million in funding had been approved through the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Act.