CPRA announces twenty dredging projects in the next fiscal year

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has released a draft version of the agency’s annual spending plan for Fiscal Year 2026.

The plan is the largest single-year investment in Louisiana’s coast to date, with $1.8 billion allotted to the design, engineering, and construction of 133 projects and ongoing operation, maintenance, and monitoring of 197 completed projects across coastal Louisiana.

“As we look forward to a new year with new projects on the ground, I am most excited to know that residents and communities in coastal Louisiana will see a brighter future because of our work. Louisiana’s coastal crisis requires immediate action, which is what this $1.8 billion Annual Plan investment represents,” said CPRA Chairman Gordon “Gordy” Dove.

Glenn Ledet, Jr., CPRA Executive Director added: “We will continue to make progress through the construction of significant projects such as the HNC Lock Complex, Southwest Coastal Louisiana, and the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp, which all broke ground in the fall of 2024, as well as the upcoming initiation of construction on large transformative projects such as the restoration of Chandeleur Islands.”

Highlights of the FY 2026 Plan:

• 86% of funds are dedicated to the construction, operation, maintenance, and monitoring of CPRA’s projects.
• Of the 133 total active projects, 19 are in the Southwest Region, 37 are in the South Central Region, and 77 are in the Southeast Region.
• Twenty dredging projects are slated for construction, utilizing more than 77 million cubic yards of sediment to create almost 15,000 acres of new land.

DRAFT Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Plan