CPRA breaks ground on Phase 2 construction of HNC Lock Complex

Governor Jeff Landry joined the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), USACE and federal, state, and local leaders to break ground on Phase 2 construction of the Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) Lock Complex yesterday.

Highlighted in both Louisiana’s 2023 Coastal Master Plan and recently approved Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Plan, the HNC Lock Complex is a key component of the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Protection system and will offer both 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. 

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, said CPRA.

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.

According to CPRA, 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.