The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) gave the board a broad implementation update on March 19, 2025, reporting a rise in construction activity statewide and new work underway in Plaquemines and Terrebonne parishes. Glenn Laday, CPRA executive director, said the agency currently manages “we've got 108 active projects, 39 in construction, 65 in engineering and design, and 4 in planning.”

The most advanced new construction is the Grand Bayou Ridge and Marsh Restoration Project in Plaquemines Parish, a combined forested ridge and marsh creation effort of more than 500 acres. CPRA said the project uses a mix of federal, state and other funds; the total budget is “close to $56,000,000.” Weeks Marine was awarded the contract and has begun building containment dikes that will be converted in part to a 10,000-foot-plus forested ridge and used to pump sediment for adjoining marsh creation. CPRA said the work will continue through the year and that the agency expects to complete the project by December 2025.

Laday and CPRA board members also gave a detailed update on major elements of the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane protection and flood risk reduction system, focusing on the Houma Navigation Canal Lock Complex. CPRA described the complex as a multi-phase construction program; the board heard that the current phase is roughly $350 million and about 20% complete, with roughly 3½ years remaining on this phase. CPRA said key features include a 110-foot clear-width sector gate, vertical battered piles already installed, dredging, an operations area, control building and a 75-foot access bridge. CPRA staff and board members said Restore Act dollars and other federal and state funding are primary sources for the work.

Board members and CPRA staff highlighted that the lock complex will provide flood protection, salinity control and navigation benefits. “It stops salt water,” said a board member at the meeting, arguing that the structure will help restore freshwater distribution throughout the system and benefit fisheries and communities in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

The update also noted several near-term public outreach items and offices: CPRA reminded the public that the draft fiscal year 2026 annual plan is open for comment until March 22, 2025, and offered email comments to coastal@la.gov or via the online portal at ap26.coastal.la.gov. CPRA said it will present the draft final plan at the April board meeting for adoption and transmittal to the legislature. CPRA also announced upcoming events: a Port Wonder ribbon cutting in Lake Charles (a children’s education center funded with Deepwater Horizon recreational-use dollars, including a $7 million CPRA allocation) and an open house on the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain/Bonnet Carre and Maurepas mitigation projects scheduled for March 27 in Reserve.

CPRA said the agency is closely coordinating with local levee districts and the Army Corps of Engineers on the Morganza-to-the-Gulf reaches and on tie-ins; several board members praised ongoing federal–state coordination and the outreach materials CPRA has produced to explain construction progress.

The board took no formal vote on the specific construction contracts during this implementation update portion of the meeting; presenters invited questions and emphasized continued partnership with local districts and federal agencies.