Hazard Mitigation Grant Projects (HMGP)

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding to state, local, tribal and territorial governments so they can rebuild in a way that reduces, or mitigates, future disaster losses in their communities. This grant funding is available after a presidentially declared disaster. Please see below for brief project descriptions.

• Port Hudson Pride Road Stream Bank Stabilization 
• Hurricane Creek Slope Paving Near Plank Road
• New Bridges At Hundred Oaks & Broussard on Dawson Creek
• Removal of Channel Restriction in Ward Creek at Siegen Lane 
• Box Culvert Replacement on Harrelson Lateral at Old Hammond
• Ward Creek Distributed Detention Project

Pride-Port Hudson Road serves as an important corridor for the City of Zachary in northern East Baton Rouge Parish.  This project focuses on an area of stream bank north east of the Port Hudson Pride Road bridge crossing of the Comite River.  The current roadway and bridge are at risk of failure from flood related hazards, such as erosion/undercutting and displacement/destruction of the road structure. This project’s goal is to stabilize the roadway and bridge to avoid those risks.

The photo shows the erosion along this section of the Comite River.  If left in this current condition, the Comite River is expected to erode the stream bank until reaching the Port Hudson Pride crossing, therefore rendering that section of road unusable and making closure necessary.  Closure of this roadway to address necessary repairs would require at least 120 days of repair and an at least 12-minute detour.  To avoid these measures, the project will focus on adding rip rap and weirs along the approximate 1100 feet of stream bank.  This will reinforce the stream bank and prevent further erosion and prevent road failure as a result.

The total cost of this project is $3.19 million, with 75% of this funding from the FEMA Hazard Grant Mitigation Program. This funding is supplemented with East Baton Rouge’s local match of 25%, which will be paid for by the Louisiana Watershed Initiative.  The Port Hudson Pride Road stream bank stabilization project will protect the area near its Comite River bridge crossing from further erosion and undercutting.  The addition of rip rap to this area will ensure that the stream bank remains intact.  Additionally, erosion prevention will protect the Comite River bridge crossing, ensuring that neither displacement nor destruction occurs in the event of heavy rains or riverine flooding.

The Plank Road bridge crossing at Hurricane Creek, approximately 2500 feet south of the Airline Highway and Plank Road intersection, is near an area of stream bank experiencing erosion due to flooding high water velocities. This project’s goal is to address erosion issues along the Hurricane Creek stream bank to minimize risks to Plank Road.

The photo shows the erosion along Hurricane Creek due to damaged and missing concrete slabs along the stream bank.  If conditions continue, erosion is expected to encroach into the adjacent cemetery, impacting the gravesites and onto a portion of JH Cooney Street, and making road closure a necessary measure. Closure of this roadway, which experiences between 11,000 and 18,000 cars per day, would require 20 to 30 days of repair and an at least 5-minute detour.  To prevent these encroachments and avoid inconvenient road closures, this project will address and repair the erosion along the Hurricane Creek stream bank. This will reinforce the stream bank and prevent further erosion and encroachment of damaging flood waters.

The total cost of this project is $1.27 million with 75% of this funding from the FEMA Hazard Grant Mitigation Program. This funding is supplemented with East Baton Rouge’s local match of 25%, which will be paid for by the Louisiana Watershed Initiative.  The Hurricane Creek slope paving at Plank Road will protect the Hurricane Creek stream bank from continued erosion.  Additionally, it will mitigate the current flood risk experienced by the adjacent cemetery and nearby JH Cooney Street.  The replacement of damaged concrete slabs will ensure this area remains intact.  Additionally, improvements to the Plank Road culvert will ensure that no displacement occurs.

Both Hundred Oaks Avenue and Broussard Street are located in a primarily residential area of Baton Rouge. At both locations, the current culvert crossings are experiencing conveyance constrictions resulting in backwater flooding.  As a result, the stream bank is at risk of over-topping and damaging the surrounding area. The goal of this project is to reduce those risks.

The photos show the current conditions of these crossings along Dawson Creek.  If left in this current condition, Dawson Creek is expected to continue to reduce channel flow and flood areas upstream of these locations, therefore causing preventable devastation.  To avoid these damages, the project will focus on replacing both culvert crossings with bridges.  This will open the Dawson Creek channel and prevent further flooding upstream.

The total cost of this project is $4.37 million, with 75% of this funding from the FEMA Hazard Grant Mitigation Program. This funding is supplemented with East Baton Rouge’s local match of 25%, which will be paid for by the Louisiana Watershed Initiative.  The bridge replacements on Hundred Oaks Avenue and Broussard Street will protect residential areas upstream of these crossings along Dawson Creek from damaging flood waters.  The newly constructed bridges will reduce channel constrictions, reducing chances of backwater flooding occurring in areas upstream of these locations.

Ward Creek is a drainage corridor that drains to Bayou Manchac and receives floodwaters from upstream waterways.  An area of interest is where it crosses the Siegen Lane former bridge location.  The current channel contains obstructions that are causing flow constrictions, resulting in increased flood risk to surrounding areas.  This project focuses on removing the constrictions in Ward Creek at this location.

The photos show the current conditions of this section of Ward Creek.  If left in this current condition, Ward Creek is expected to continue to experience reduced channel flow, and to flood areas upstream of this location.  To avoid these damages, the project will focus on widening Ward Creek, which will increase channel flow and reduce flooding upstream of this location.

The total cost of this project is $1.8 million, with 100% of this funding from the FEMA Hazard Grant Mitigation Program. The channel widening of Ward Creek at Siegen Lane will protect areas upstream of this crossing from damaging flood waters.  The increased channel width will reduce channel constrictions, reducing chances of backwater flooding occurring in areas upstream of these locations.

Approximately 2,900 feet east of Old Hammond Highway’s intersection with Airline Highway is a box culvert at Harrelson Lateral, which is causing conveyance constrictions.  As a result, the stream bank is at risk of over-topping and flooding the surrounding area.  This project focuses on enlarging the box culvert.

The photo on the left shows the current flood conditions for this location if a 100-year storm event were to occur.  The photo on the right shows the conditions for this location for a 100-year storm event if the box culvert were replaced with a larger culvert.  If left in its current condition, this stream will overflow its banks, and flood residential areas south of Old Hammond Highway.  To avoid these damages, a larger box culvert will be constructed, which will increase channel flow and reduce flooding near this location.

The total cost of this project is $1.05 million, with 75% of this funding from the FEMA Hazard Grant Mitigation Program. This funding is supplemented with East Baton Rouge’s local match of 25%, which will be paid for by the Louisiana Watershed Initiative.  The enlarged box culvert on Harrelson Lateral will protect residential areas south of Old Hammond Highway from damaging flood waters.

This project consist of detention areas distributed throughout various sites in the upper areas of the Ward Creek watershed. These detention sites are green spaces that will provide extra storage for stormwater during peak runoff times and assist with flood risk reduction. A total of 200 acres will be utilized and will take approximately 3 years to complete at a cost of $30.7M