Flood-control canal could be complete in 2 years
BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer
The Comite River Diversion Canal federally approved in 1993 as a flood-protection measure for the Baton Rouge area and for over two decades under start-and-stop construction — should be done by mid-2028, officials say
When the latest round of work on the canal started in 2019, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials estimated the $908 million channel would take two years to finish But the project, which will divert Comite River floodwater to the Mississippi River hit roadblocks and repeatedly slipped past expected completion dates.
The newest timeline was discussed recently with a legislative task force tracking the diversion’s construction.
The disclosure prompted a now familiar airing of frustrations over the pace of work and questions about state and federal oversight
“My role in this is to stay committed to moving as fast as possible.”
COL.
SCOTTY AUTIN, commander of
the
Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District
of day-to-day construction and whether better contracting terms could motivate faster work.
Another complaint centers on why federal officials can’t start the process of refashioning flood insurance rate maps before the canal is finished to account for how much it will reduce risk — which could save homeowners and other policyholders money
State Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, and Greenwell Springs builder Brandon Ivey raised the idea of adding performance incentives for bigger contracts that could put a dent in the timeline.
“It would be tragic if we had an-
other event six months before it would be open and have many millions of dollars worth of damage when maybe some performance incentives would have helped,” Ivey said.
Among those fielding the questions was Col. Scotty Autin, the latest commander of the Corps’ New Orleans District to be handed responsibility for the long-running project.
The Houma native who took over in July said the U.S. Army has “a bias for action” and, with the state highway department, would try to find ways to save time in the building contracts.
“My role in this is to stay committed to moving as fast as possible,” he said, adding he would look to trim cushion days built into the contracts where possible.
He said the contracts already contain some incentives, including financial penalties for delays. Also,
ä See CANAL, page 2G
Thawing out?
As I write this, the area is prepping for extreme cold weather Whether or not it will have icy conditions is yet to be seen. I hope all came out on the other side warm and safe. Many activities were postponed, so be sure to check with organizers and find out when those have been rescheduled. And as always, let us know when you have events to publicize. Send information to zachary@theadvocate.com or for the Felicianas at extra@theadvocate. com.
Lane Regional Medical Center will reign as king, and Britany Hurst Temple, Tulane Hall of Famer, influencer and entrepreneur will be queen as Zachary’s events will honor Everyday Heroes. The parade is Feb. 15. Final sign-up for the parade is Saturday Visit tinyurl.com/mv4uvxks to sign up. An invitation only reception and news conference is Feb. 13. Feb. 14 is a community service event and Mass. Visit zmardigras.com for information.
Help with food needs
Zachary Carnival royalty
Zachary Mardi Gras announced its first king and queen. Frank Corcoran, CEO,
The Zachary Food Pantry is seeking post-holiday help.
”Lord
The Broncos won 76-36. As always, other students were on hand in supporting roles, such as cheering and concessions. Visiting alumni also were in the gym.
Justin Williams, the owner of Grind Elite Threads, gave away 100 Zachary basketball shirts to students who attended
the Corps grades its contractors, which can affect the ability of poorly rated companies to get future jobs. A concept discussed since the 1960s, the 8-mile, rocklined channel is being sliced through forest, pasture and creeks. The route starts just east of La. 67 at the Comite and cuts westward, and downhill, on a path between Baker and Zachary With 4 additional miles of more natural diversion through Mississippi River lowlands west of U.S. 61, the canal will essentially become a manmade river able to handle floodwaters equivalent to the Arkansas River Handling so much water has required a massive digging, building and relocation effort to make way for the 300-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep channel. That work has included construction of highway and railroad bridges to cross the new canal and the relocation of more than 60 pipelines and other utilities.
‘Challenging milestone’
Despite missing completion estimates state officials have hit some big milestones. Fifteen of the 23 construction or land clearing phases of the project have been built or finished. By the end of 2025, construction contracts for all of the remaining phases were awarded, Corps officials said.
Autin confirmed the Corps has enough money to finish the work after cost overruns forced a major influx of new cash from Congress a few years ago as the price rose to nearly $1 billion.
Perhaps most significantly, one of the largest stumbling blocks in the latest phase of the diversion’s long history — relocating two high-pressure gas pipelines owned by Florida Gas Transmission was completed in January. Gas is flowing through the rerouted lines, Autin said.
“It was a challenging milestone for this project. It took long time,” Autin said.
Officials with the Amite
River Basin Commission, an original sponsor of the channel, have said they foresaw the problems the gas lines would pose in 2010 but couldn’t generate interest in tackling the problem. And state officials have complained they hit years of resistance in nego-
tiations with the company to address the complicated and costly pipeline relocation. The stalled work ended up delaying two canal digging phases and new bridge construction at La. 19. It took a personal visit by then-Gov John Bel Ed-
wards with Florida Gas officials in early 2022 and talks among the company, the state and the Corps to
P.J. Varnado, the branch chief for the Baton Rouge Integrated Projects Office, gives a tour of the finished control structure near Lilly Bayou on Aug. 19, 2024 in Zachary. The structure, which was finished in 2011, is part of the Comite River Diversion Canal and slows the 45-foot drop of water flowing from the channel section of the diversion into bottomland swamps along the Mississippi.
agree on reimbursement for the company’s utility relocation costs. That bill wound up at $17 million.
Final pieces
Among the key final construction pieces are the diversion structure itself and bridges at La. 19. Once finished, the big diversion structure will sit in the Comite River just east of the new La. 67 bridge, which was built for the canal. The structure will continuously divert water from the Comite into the new channel once flooding hits a certain level.
To hold up against the pushing water, the structure will contain 40,000 cubic yards of reinforced concrete, enough to fill 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and 142,000 linear feet of steel H-piles, enough to stretch from downtown Baton Rouge to Gonzales, Corps estimates say Despite the scope of that piece of the project, it isn’t expected to take the longest to finish. That distinction falls to constructing the final connection between a natural waterway, Bayou Baton Rouge, and the new diversion channel. That work, the last of three bayou connections is expected to take nearly three years.
“Is it really going to take that long?” asked state Sen. Valarie Hodges, a Denham Springs Republican who chairs the task force. The work involves rocklining the last sections of the three bayous so they can gradually dump water into the diversion. Two are in various stages of construction or final land clearing. Corps officials said one reason the Bayou Baton Rouge part will take so long is that it requires a new bridge. Autin told Hodges that the 1,087 days set aside for the job “matches what we would see on similar complex projects,” but he added that close coordination with the contractor could speed things up. “That’s the commitment to turn those 1,087 (days) as efficient as we can and really deliver it,” he said.
David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.
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BRADY
His coach at Silliman was Marvin Holland, the second winningest coach in Zachary High football history (59-31).
I have known Shannon since he was a teenager and have watched him bounce around from his playing days to his assistant coaching days at Southeastern, New Mexico State, Millsaps, Stephen F. Austin, West Virginia, Kentucky, Southern Mississippi, Houston and now finally at Miami. Though it was painful to see his team lose in what was an incredible game, the accomplishment is not lost When I think of ramblings and football it frequently brings me back to another quarterback, the infamous Jeff George. Never heard of him?
Well, George started his college career at Purdue, was prepared to transfer to Miami but backed out when coach Jimmy Johnson would not guarantee him the starting job, and finished his career at University of Illinois.
No, this was not in the time of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) or when transfers were immediately
eligible. This was in the 1980s. George had a similar experience in pro football playing for eight teams over a 16-year NFL career Dawson’s journey and George’s career got me to thinking about some of the rambling men (and mostly quarterbacks to boot) a little closer to home that are still working toward “their moment.”
Moving from most recent to oldest, Eli Holstein is on the move again. The QB for ZHS’ 2021 state championship started his career at Alabama with Nick Saban. He transferred to Pittsburgh and spent two years with the Panthers that included leading them to a 7-0 start in his first season
Eli went into the portal this year and will be taking his talents to the University of Virginia next season The Cavaliers won the ACC last year with a record of 11-3 and last year’s QB ran out of eligibility
When we last checked in on Lindsey Scott (QB of the ZHS 2015 state championship team) he was doing some assistant coaching at Texas State, playing some USFL football and being inducted into the ZHS Hall of Fame. In January of last year, Scott was hired by Texas Tech as the assistant quarterbacks coach
Turning the page
Scott almost achieved his first coaching milestone in his first year with the Red Raiders Texas Tech (12-1) had a tremendous season going undefeated during the regular season before losing in the Orange Bowl to the Oregon Ducks. Three years into Scott’s coaching career he was within two games of the championship and playing against Dawson’s Hurricanes in a journey to “the big one” that took Dawson over 20 years to achieve.
As I watched the championship game a text came through from ZHS alum Daniel Wagner (Class of 1989) giving me the latest update on his ZHS classmate and my former teammate Theron Aych. For some the journey is longer, and Aych’s moves have been frequent and of short duration. Aych’s 30year college journey goes University of Houston, University of Washington, Central Missouri, Angelo State, Arizona, UTEP, Tennessee State, Marshall, Oklahoma State and now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley UTRGV played its inaugural football season last year and posted a record of 9-3. Aych will serve as the co-offensive coordinator Tryin’ to make a livin’ and doing the best he can.
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