Uptown/Broadmoor Area Drainage Improvement Projects

In conjunction with the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is sponsoring three Federally funded drainage canal improvement projects for the Uptown and Broadmoor areas. Work now underway at Pumping Station No. One is also part of this improvement plan.
The purpose of the projects is to improve the existing drainage system to reduce the chances of flood damage in these areas. The three-part canal project will cost approximately $42 million dollars for construction, with an additional $3 million for design, land acquisition, permitting, rights-of-way, utility relocation and construction administrative fees.
The work will take approximately four years to complete. The Federal Government will pay for 75% of the project, with the S&WB contributing 25%.
While this work is centered on Napoleon Avenue and South Claiborne Avenue, future projects which will utilize these improvements have been identified and are in the process of being evaluated for additional Federal funding.

South Claiborne Manifold Canal
(Nashville Avenue to Jena Street)

° A 22-foot wide by 10-foot high canal will be built beneath the S. Claiborne neutral ground from Nashville to Jefferson Avenue and a 24 by 10 canal will be constructed from Jefferson to Jena.
The manifold canal, a new addition to the existing drainage system, will intercept flow from the Nashville Canal on the river side of S. Claiborne and direct the flow through the new Napoleon Canal. It will also provide a connection for a future canal at Jefferson.
This new system will re-route flow which previously went into one canal into two canals along Napoleon.
The construction contract, awarded to Boh Brothers Construction Co., is $9.5 million. The project will be coordinated through and permitted by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). Construction is scheduled to begin in May, 2000 and be completed by May, 2002.

South Claiborne Manifold Canal
(Jena to Louisiana Avenue)

° A 24-foot wide by 10-foot high canal from Jena to Napoleon and a 14 by 10 canal from Napoleon to Louisiana will be constructed beneath the neutral ground of S. Claiborne.
In this phase, the connections of the manifold canal to the existing and new canals at Napoleon will be made, as well as a connection for a future canal at Louisiana. The manifold canal, a new addition to the existing system, will intercept flow from the Gen. Taylor Street Canal on the river side of S. Claiborne and direct the flow through the new Napoleon Canal.
This new system will re-route flow which previously went into one canal into two canals along Napoleon.
The construction contract for this portion of the project is $13.5 million. The project will be coordinated through and permitted by LaDODT. Work is scheduled to begin in May, 2000 and be completed by May, 2002. Johnson Bros. was awarded the construction contract.

General Information About Claiborne

° Any street lanes affected by the drainage construction will be resurfaced at the end of each project. Trees which have been removed and replanted will be replaced when the projects are completed. All portions of neutral grounds used as temporary roadways will be completely restored.
° Traffic patterns will need to be periodically altered as the work moves in phases along Claiborne. The Corps and S&WB have worked closely with the City's Department of Public Works and the Regional Transit Authority to keep inconveniences to a minimum. Announcements through the media or with letters and flyers will advise area residents and business owners of any long-term or unusual traffic situations.
° Citizens wanting to reach the Sewerage and Water Board for more information or questions should contact a special information hotline--585-2450.
° The meeting tonight is designed to provide information and receive your input on the Claiborne Manifold Canal work.
° The projects described tonight are part of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Control Program (SELA), in which 75 per cent of the cost of eligible flood control projects are funded by the U.S. Government, with construction administration by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The remaining 25 per cent of cost is funded by the project's sponsor, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans.
° With the current work being done at Pumping Station No. One, some $35 million in funds has already been allocated to the Broad Street projects completed or underway. An additional $80 million was previously expended for work on canals and pumping stations which receive water from the Uptown/Broadmoor area and transport it to Lake Pontchartrain.
° Pre-Construction Services, Inc. 466-9146, is the firm handling pre-construction videotaping and photography.

Additional components of the overall improvements in the area or already underway:

Drainage Pumping Station No. 1
(S. Broad at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard)

° Construction is underway to upgrade the station and enlarge the discharge basin on the lake side of the station. Two 1,200 cubic feet per second (cfs) pumps are being installed which will increase the station's capacity by 538,500 gallons per minute (GPM). When the work is completed in March 2001, the station will be able to pump 2.6 million gallons per minute. Construction cost is $15 million. Pittman Construction is doing the work.

Napoleon Avenue Canals

° Two new 19-foot wide by 13-foot high canals are being constructed beneath the Napoleon Avenue neutral ground from S. Claiborne Avenue to Fontainebleau Drive.
The new canals will parallel an existing canal (20 by 12) located beneath the north-bound lanes. The new canals will have twice the capacity of the existing one. The existing canal will remain operational during and after construction of the new ones. The construction contract is $19 million.
Construction is expected to be completed in June, 2002. The contractor is James Industrial Constructors, LLC.