Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) Project New Orleans Louisiana

The Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) Project will be the largest Civil Engineering Works ever performed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The objective of the IHNP is to protect the lives and property of the citizens of New Orleans, Louisiana. As a Civil Engineer, one cannot aspire to a loftier objective than to serve precisely that function in every project. This project is also very special to practitioners and students of Civil Engineering in that design and construction works are being concurrently performed. This latter feat is presently requiring tremendous knowledge, dedication, and coordination by the Civil Engineers, scientists, and other specialists at the Corps of Engineers (New Orleans) and those serving within the ranks of the successful contractor for the IHNC project: Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure.

For simplicity, the IHNC Project may be classified as the design and construction of a surge barrier and similar to a floodwall. Nevertheless, it will be a very long barrier (2 miles or 3.2 km) across the canal and will have to resist the tremendous impact of a water surge from Lake Borgne and/or the Gulf of Mexico during a hurricane. The surge barrier will be constructed near the confluence of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) and the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO). Since these are navigable waters, navigation gates will be constructed where the barrier crosses the GIWW and Bayou Bienvenue to reduce the risk of storm surge. A significant part of the works to be performed are of a geotechnical engineering nature, beginning with the construction of the Bayou Bienvenues levees to retain the dredge materials for the access channel, shoreline protection works, partial filling of the MRGO, the driving of nearly 1300 piles to depths of up to 230 feet, installation of sheet-pile walls, potential expansion of access roads through poor soils. For additional information on the project, please visit the U.S. Corps of Engineers Team New Orleans Project Portal at the following Web link: http://tiny.cc/IhjI4

Enjoy,
Roberto L. Sanchez, P.E.
President/Principal Engineer
Star Engineering, Inc.
http://tiny.cc/Y5zCT

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Civil engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• hurricane
• New Orleans
• Louisiana
• surge wall