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Industrial Canal Project |
The Inner Harbor Navigation Canal and Lock (IHNC) was completed in 1921, cutting Bywater off from it's downriver neighbors. Commonly known to New Orleans residents as "The Industrial Canal," The IHNC connects the Mississippi river and Lake Pontchartrain, The lock, 31.5 feet deep, 75 feet wide and 640 feet long, has been a bottleneck to shipping for many years. The average delay to pass through the lock is 10 hours, but can range up to 24 or 36 hours in very busy times. You can see the current Lock Status at the US Army Corps of Engineers Lock Status page.
View if Industrial Canal and Lock, looking toward the
Mississippi River
with Bywater and downtown New Orleans in the background.
(Photo by US Army Corps of Engineers)
Replacement of the lock was authorized in 1956, but many years of planning only resulted in controversial designs that destroyed acres of wetlands in St. Bernard Parish or homes in the two Historic Neighborhoods adjacent to the present lock. After much community input, the Corps of Engineers developed an innovative design and location for the project that satisfied many of the community's concerns and the project was authorized by Congress in 1998.
Construction began in December 2001 on the replacement of the Florida Avenue Bridge over the canal and will continue through May 2015.
Because of community concerns, the project included $37 million in Community Impact Mitigation funds. A Community-Based Mitigation Committee (CBMC) was established to work with affected area neighborhoods and the Corps of Engineers to develop and implement the mitigation plan.
Mike Lagarde is one of the Bywater representatives on this Committee. You can contact Mike with any questions or concerns you have about this project and it's impact to our neighborhood.
Mike Lagarde, BNA Representative, CBMC
Phone: 948-8844
email: thelagardes@earthlink.net
Links to more information about the IHNC project:
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| Copyright © 2003 by BNA Last Modified on 07/15/2004 |