FEMA to pay 75 percent
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will fund 75 percent of the estimated $1.2 million cost to repair Spillway Road, which was badly damaged when the Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened for 42 days this summer.
The force of the water eroded the road most severely near seven culvert crossings, about 70 to 80 feet in each direction from those crossings. The parish was able to reopen Spillway Road in late July after spending $50,000 for a temporary fix. That temporary fix included road base repair, materials and compaction.
The estimated $1.2 million repair includes the complete resurfacing of the road along with improvements to mitigate future damage during flood events. The improvements involve adding concrete headwalls, wingwalls and aprons to the culverts under the road, as well as concrete sections of the roadway above the culverts to prevent wash out around the culverts, according to parish spokeswoman Renee Simpson.
Simpson added that no timetable has been established for the road repair and that the project must first be reviewed and approved by FEMA.
“We’re proud of the fact that St. Charles Parish is home to the measure by which our neighbors downriver can be saved from catastrophic river flooding,” Parish President V.J. St. Pierre said. “Even though no homes flooded, we still had a flood event here that damaged parish infrastructure. The funds are very welcomed to help us adequately deal with this somewhat unexpected expense.”
In addition, officials also announced that a $2,000 grant given by Entergy of Louisiana would help defray the parish’s share of repair costs.
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