One step closer

Comite Diversion project moves forward despite funding delays

By Angelle Bergeron

At first glance, the future site of the Lily Bayou Control Structure near Baker appears to be a huge pit scratched out of the red dirt.

But B&K Construction of Mandeville's $27 million project to construct the first phase of the $163 million Comite River Diversion Project has proven more intricate and exacting than simply "digging a huge hole in the ground," said Blake Andrews, B&K president.

James Construction Group of Baton Rouge had a previous contract to dig the hole and build a slurry track, subsequently moving more than 1.2 million cu. yds. of dirt, said Philippe Jean, B&K's quality control officer.

"The current contract requires that we dig the hole bigger, longer and deeper and build the concrete control structure," Jean said.

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By the time B&K is finished with excavation, a total of 2.5 million cu. yds. of earth will have been removed. Maintaining the proper specifications to shape what will be a long, sloping basin has been an intricate process.

"It's an ongoing job to keep up with Duett Landforming (a subcontractor to B&K) and the elevations," said Mike Tassin, project manager for B&K. "We have to set the elevations with lasers, and every time you get started and set up you have to move because it's not a flat hole but is changing contours and elevations."

B&K began work in September 2004 on the three-year Lily Bayou project, which is the first of 14 phases in a long-awaited U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to address flooding along the Amite River.

"A lot of the flooding in the Baton Rouge area is caused by the Amite and Comite rivers," said Dietmar Rietschier, executive director of the Amite River Basin Commission.

The Comite is a tributary to the Amite, which serves as the political boundary between four parishes: East Baton Rouge and Livingston on the south end and St. Helena and East Feliciana farther north. Over the years, local governments have individually tried to resolve the flooding issues, Rietschier said.

But because of the magnitude of the problem it became apparent that a regional, multijurisdictional approach was necessary.

"Of course, when you are dealing with any infrastructure projects of this magnitude it requires federal assistance," Rietschier added.

For about 20 years, the corps has conducted numerous studies, resulting in several proposals. The corps considered building dams and elevating properties, but decided upon a diversion canal that would direct overflow from the Comite to the Mississippi River, Rietschier said.

The system will originate at the Comite and Amite rivers and go west toward the Mississippi River near Baker, where B&K is constructing the Lily Bayou portion.

"The whole thing will be dry until the final phase is finished," Jean said.

Dirt from the 6,000-ft.-long and 600-ft.-wide Lily Bayou site is being removed to an adjacent, 100-acre disposal area. The diversion will consist of an open channel lined with riprap, which leads to a drop down and widens into a spillway.

"When water equalizes to 38-ft. elevation, it will simply run off through swampy area the final 2 mi. to the river," said Clark Carroll, project engineer for the corps.

Basically, the job requires a "lot of scrapers and a bunch of well pumps," Tassin said. Aqua Terra of Baton Rouge installed 70 100-ft.-deep pumps and 20 240-ft.-deep pumps, Tassin said.

That next phase requires construction of the huge concrete flume, which will be the centerpiece of the control structure. By the end of October, B&K had completed construction of a $2 million batch plant onsite, a necessity for handling the 1,000-cu.-yd. pours the contractor will be making.

"It's a real slow-curing mix because they don't want it to crack," Tassin said.

The mix is the corps' "tried and true" mix that has been used for years on locks and dams, Andrews said.

"We're going to pour slabs from 8- to 14 ft. thick using regular mass concrete and then top it with a final, 12-in. layer of slab that is resistant to abrasion and cavities," Andrews said. "With all the flow coming through, this keeps the base of the concrete from getting destroyed."

The pumps must be activated before the contractor can excavate deeper than 38 ft., shore up with sheet piling and pour the concrete.

But by the end of October, B&K was waiting on funding before proceeding to the next phase.

"Once we dewater, we'll be past the point of no return," Tassin said. "The next phase is an $8 million chunk, and it involves a few things that have to happen in sequence, so the funds must be appropriated for the entire duration."

"Financially, we can't take that next step as a contractor so, more than likely, we'll stop the job in November or December."

The overall project is scheduled for completion by 2011, contingent upon federal funding, Rietschier said.

"Allocations issues were being resolved before Hurricane Katrina, which I feel has demonstrated how important it is to fund these flood-protection issues in south Louisiana," Rietschier added. "I believe at least we should get adequate funding to keep us going, and hopefully, allocations might be increased. I feel like we are in better shape than we have been in recent years."

"Normally, funding wouldn't have been an issue, but we've been on hold since the war in Iraq," Clark said.

The corps has a commitment from Congress for the project for $6.2 million beginning in the next fiscal year, which started Oct. 1, said Larry Poindexter, the Corps senior project manager for the Comite River Diversion project.

"That isn't enough to take B&K through the entire fiscal year as he has it scheduled," Poindexter said. "We're looking to other projects that have the money but may not be able to execute for the entire year. That may allow us to divert some of those funds."

Over the years, the corps has diverted some of the funds dedicated to the Comite project for other needs and "now we're trying to re-gather some of those funds," Poindexter said.

The next phase is the Comite River Diversion Project is for a bridge crossing at Louisiana Highway 67.

"That is already under design," Poindexter said. "We will let a contract for that is late 2006 or early 2007."

Construction won't be contiguous throughout the 14 phases of the project, but will hopscotch, Carroll said.

"We have reviewed control structures at other bayous and some of the highway crossing structures, and some are still in the design phase," Carroll said.