Ground broken for Houma locks

Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday joined the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and federal, state, and local leaders to break ground on Phase 2 construction of the Houma Navigation Canal Lock Complex.
The HNC Lock Complex is a key component of the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Protection system and will offer both ecological protection and economic benefits.
“Coordination by state and federal agencies and elected officials at every level got us where we are today, breaking ground on the second phase of the HNC Lock Complex project to offer further protection to the residents of Terrebonne Parish,” said Landry.The HNC Lock Complex is a large-scale navigation, flood protection, and hydrologic restoration project that will help limit saltwater intrusion and distribute freshwater within the Terrebonne Basin, allowing for the maintenance of thousands of acres of wetlands, which serve as critical wildlife habitat and nurseries for fisheries.
Once completed, the HNC Lock Complex will span 110 feet across and 800 feet in length with sector gates on either side, directly adjacent to the existing 250-foot-wide Bubba Dove barge floodgate.
The two components will be tied together by a braced flood wall across the channel and work in concert to allow larger ships to pass through the canal.
The HNC Lock Complex will also close one of the few remaining gaps of the Morganza to the Gulf hurricane protection system, which uses a variety of features such as levees, floodgates, and locks to protect approximately 200,000 residents and nearly 2,000 square miles of land in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish from potentially deadly storm surge.
“Today's groundbreaking brings us one step closer to completing the Morganza to the Gulf system and enhancing the protection against hurricanes and other major storms for the residents of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes,” said CPRA Chairman Gordon “Gordy” Dove. “In addition to providing greater protection to the people in the region, the completion of the HNC Lock Complex will also enable us to restore the area's ecosystem by introducing fresh water to rejuvenate the degraded waterways.”