Houma Navigation Canal Lock Project Moves Forward

Governor Jeff Landry, alongside representatives from the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and various federal, state and local officials, marked a milestone with the groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 2 of the Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) Lock Complex.

Featured in Louisiana's 2023 Coastal Master Plan and the recently approved Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Plan, the HNC Lock Complex is a crucial element of the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Protection system. The project is designed to enhance both ecological resilience and economic stability for the region.

The HNC Lock Complex, a major initiative in navigation, flood protection, and hydrologic restoration, aims to mitigate saltwater intrusion and manage freshwater distribution within the Terrebonne Basin. This will support the preservation of thousands of acres of wetlands. Upon completion, the complex will stretch 110 feet in width and 800 feet in length, featuring sector gates on each end adjacent to the existing 250-foot-wide Bubba Dove barge floodgate.

The new infrastructure will be integrated with a braced floodwall across the channel, enhancing its ability to accommodate larger vessels and complete one of the last gaps in the Morganza to the Gulf hurricane protection system. This system, comprising levees, floodgates, and locks, is essential for safeguarding approximately 200,000 residents and nearly 2,000 square miles of land in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes from severe storm surges.

“Today’s groundbreaking brings us one step closer to completing the Morganza to the Gulf system and enhancing the protection against hurricanes and other major storms for the residents of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes,” said CPRA Chairman Gordon “Gordy” Dove. “In addition to providing greater protection to the people in the region, the completion of the HNC Lock Complex will also enable us to restore the area’s ecosystem by introducing fresh water to rejuvenate the degraded waterways.”

The project is funded by a grant from the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) as part of the Spill Impact Component of the RESTORE Act. In March 2024, it received the largest grant ever awarded by the RESTORE Council.

“The staff at CPRA remains committed to exploring all avenues to secure funding in order to advance projects like the HNC Lock Complex as swiftly and efficiently as possible,” said CPRA Executive Director Glenn Ledet, Jr. “The sooner that we can move plans from the pages of our Coastal Master Plan to constructed projects in vulnerable areas of need, the more protection and peace of mind we can offer to the families who call those areas home.”

Phase 2 of the construction will involve installing sector gates on both the Inland and Gulf sides, building the lock chamber, and completing the operations area and control building. This phase also includes a 175-foot control building access bridge and the hydraulic dredging of approximately 135,000 cubic yards of material from the canal. Additionally, it will reestablish 15 acres of brackish marsh habitat, further benefiting the local ecosystem and wildlife.

“This project has been in the works for well over a decade, and there have been times where I’ve wondered if I would ever see it completed,” said Terrebonne Levee & Conservation District (TLCD) Board President and CPRA Board Member Anthony “Tony” Alford. “This project is the linchpin of the entire Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Risk Reduction Project. The ability to let fresh water to flow freely throughout the canals and tributaries of Morganza that have been decimated by saltwater will breathe new life into these waterways and allow the area to flourish once more.”