LAPLACE – The first of two vegetation and tree-clearing contracts was recently awarded by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, New Orleans District to Quality First Construction, LLC, for $3.06 million for work related to the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Risk Reduction Project in St. Charles, St. John and St. James parishes.

Work is currently underway and will take approximately six months to complete. The second vegetation and tree-clearing contract will be awarded later this summer.

This project allows crews to access the area to complete land surveys and collect soil borings, which will be used to determine the final levee alignment and design plan.

The $760 million West Shore Levee Project was funded by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 and will provide risk reduction for approximately 60,000 people on the east bank of the Mississippi River in St. Charles, St. John and St. James parishes.

The final design plan will consist of 18 miles of levee, t-walls, pump stations, and additional drainage structures. Expectations are that the first construction contract will be awarded in mid-2020, and the project will be completed in 2024.