$6.9 million levee enlargement project in St. Rose

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, announced Thursday (Nov. 5) that it reached a substantial completion on a levee enlargement project in St. Rose.

The project aims to strengthen flood risk reduction for residents and businesses across St. Charles Parish, the agency said.

The $6.9 million project raised a critical stretch of the Mississippi River levee by an average of 1.5 feet and fortified flood barriers ahead of high-river season, the agency said.

Crews also paved and fully reopened the parish’s all-weather access road on the levee crown, the agency said.

“Reaching substantial completion on the St. Rose levee lift is an important milestone for the community and for our broader effort to strengthen the Mississippi River levee system,” said Col. Scotty Autin, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District. “This work improves flood risk reduction for St. Charles Parish and helps ensure the system remains resilient for the people, businesses and critical infrastructure it serves.”

The St. Rose lift is vital in the federal Mississippi River and Tributaries system. The system protects the lower Mississippi Valley from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to Venice, Louisiana, safeguarding millions of residents and crucial economic corridors along the river, the agency said.

Crews will conduct minor site cleanup and cultivate protective turf along the slopes, with a final closeout inspection expected for late November 2026 once the levee grass is fully established to safeguard against soil erosion, the agency said.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.

Subscribe to the Fox 8 YouTube channel.