Groundbreaking held for Phase 2 of HNC Lock Complex

Once completed, the HNC Lock Complex will span 110 feet across and 800 feet in length with sector gates on either side, directly adjacent to the existing 250-foot-wide Bubba Dove barge floodgate. (Credit: CPRA)

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, alongside the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal, state, and local leaders, has officially broken ground on 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 critical element of the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Protection system, providing significant ecological protection and economic benefits.

“Coordination by state and federal agencies and elected officials at every level got us where we are today, breaking ground on the second phase of the HNC Lock Complex project to offer further protection to the residents of Terrebonne Parish,” said Gov. Landry. “I want to express my gratitude to everyone from Terrebonne, CPRA, the Corps, and our state and federal legislators for acknowledging that the communities, cultures, and businesses thriving in south Louisiana are invaluable and must be continuously protected.”

The HNC Lock Complex is a large-scale navigation, flood protection, and hydrologic restoration project that will help limit saltwater intrusion and distribute freshwater within the Terrebonne Basin, allowing for the maintenance of thousands of acres of wetlands, which serve as critical wildlife habitat and nurseries for fisheries. Once completed, the HNC Lock Complex will span 110 feet across and 800 feet in length with sector gates on either side, directly adjacent to the existing 250-foot-wide Bubba Dove barge floodgate.

The two components will be tied together by a braced floodwall across the channel and work in concert to allow larger ships to pass through the canal. The HNC Lock Complex will also close one of the few remaining gaps of the Morganza to the Gulf hurricane protection system, which uses a variety of features such as levees, floodgates, and locks to protect approximately 200,000 residents and nearly 2,000 square miles of land in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish from potentially deadly storm surge.

“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.”

This effort is being funded through a grant administered by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) using funds from the Spill Impact Component of the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). In March 2024, the project received the largest grant awarded by the RESTORE Council for any project to date.

“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.”

This phase of the project includes construction of Inland and Gulf-side sector gates as well as the lock chamber to complete the HNC Lock Complex. Phase 2 of the project also includes the completion of the operations area, the control building, the 175-foot control building access bridge as well as the hydraulically dredging approximately 135,000 cubic yards of material from the HNC to reestablish 15 acres of brackish marsh habitat, benefiting the area’s ecosystem and wildlife.

“It’s difficult to express just how exciting today is for the people of Terrebonne Parish and the surrounding ecosystem. 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.”