Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Comite River Diversion Canal work advancing; Brooks Lake closure requires 29 additional parcels, ARBC says
Loading...
Summary
ARBC leaders reported steady construction on the Comite River Diversion Canal, with site clearing and preparatory work at Brooks Lake and a reported requirement to acquire 29 parcels for the Brooks Lake closure; Clark and legal counsel said coordination with DOTD, utilities and the U.S. Army Corps is ongoing.
President Clark told commissioners the Comite River Diversion Canal project is moving steadily across multiple segments, with particular momentum near Baton Rouge Bayou and ongoing site clearing at Brooks Lake.
Clark said work varies by segment because the diversion channel involves multiple forms of infrastructure. “Construction’s moving steadily across most segments with the strongest momentum at Baton Rouge Bayou … and at Brooks Lake, site clearing and preparation are ongoing,” he said.
Clark and ARBC legal counsel Larry Bankston reported right-of-way work is a current pressure point. Clark said 29 parcels have been identified at Brooks Lake for acquisition and that additional parcels may be required in the 3-Bayou area as the right-of-way alignment is finalized. Bankston reiterated that monthly coordination continues with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), the ARBC, East Baton Rouge Parish and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The board discussed infrastructure milestones: Clark said LA 964 and LA 67 bridge and road work are complete, while LA 19 was about 20 percent complete; the McKee Road bridge is finished but McKee Road construction awaits excavation and heavy-equipment work and is also tied to pending utility and railroad approvals. He flagged coordination with Demco, Florida Gas, fiber-permit work and Shell Oil’s pending railroad approvals as schedule dependencies expected to wrap in April–May.
On flood mapping, Clark said FEMA is expected to begin basin-wide modeling in 2027 using the Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI) model; he said the mapping timeline is estimated at one to 1.5 years and that FEMA’s maps will reflect benefits of the Comite diversion.
Why it matters: The diversion canal is a long, multipart infrastructure project intended to lower flood risk in downstream communities. Delays in right-of-way acquisitions, utility relocations and railroad approvals can constrain construction sequencing and schedule.
Next steps: ARBC staff and partners will continue monthly coordination meetings with DOTD and the Army Corps, advance necessary acquisitions and monitor utility and railroad permitting to enable McKee Road and other construction steps to proceed.
