Bayou Dupre Sector Gate (LPV 144)
SALIENT FEATURES
Tallest Steel Sector Gate
Tallest T-wall Design
Pontoon Bridge
Cofferdam Design Review
Construction Support
Construction Cost: $60M
CLIENT
USACE New Orleans District
LOCATION:
St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
BACKGROUND
The gate and adjacent T-walls in LPV 144 are the tallest sector gate (43.5 ft.) and T-walls in the New Orleans flood protection system built after Hurricane Katrina. Final plans and specs were developed for the sector gate complex to provide protection to the 100-year level (EL 31.0). Hydraulic and Hydrologic (H&H) modeling was performed to determine the 100-year water elevation (EL.31) for gate design. A swinging pontoon (barge) bridge was also part of the final design to provide access to the adjacent levee reach.
PROJECT FEATURE
The project scope included the design of sector gate concrete monolith, steel gate leaf, hinge and pintle assembly, guide wall, dolphins, temporary retaining structure, needle girders and needle beams, tie-in floodwall monoliths, generator house, and control building.
Some of the unique design features for this project included:
Tallest Steel Sector Gate
Tallest T-wall Design
Comprehensive Planning Resulting into Cost-Effective Design
Balanced Ecosystem Design - Critter Gate
Pontoon Bridge
As the gate in this location was the tallest in HSDRRS system, a three-frame sector leaf would have resulted in a heavier gate which would have posed challenges to pintle operation. To better distribute the loads, four (4) horizontal frames were introduced in this gate design.
RELEVANT SERVICES
As part of BioEngineering-Arcadis JV, Dr. Anwar Zahid of infraTECH (working for Arcadis) served as the Designer of Record (DOR), and supported the USACE during EDC to review construction submittals (shop drawings, equipment specifications), cofferdam design review, site visits, RFI’s, and design modifications.
For the whole HSDRRS in New Orleans, the sector gate and the associated T walls of Bayou Dupre Complex were the tallest. They needed special attention to details, and a unique design philosophy. Anwar served as the structural DOR for these features and the whole complex. During both the design and the construction phases he was proactive in solving issues by maintaining open and constant communication with me and the USACE technical leads with the goal of completing the project on time and within budget. He demonstrated the ability to work on multiple task orders simultaneously while maintaining the same high-quality deliverables for all.
Chris Gilmore, PE
USACE New Orleans District PM for this Task Order