WESTON Meets Hurricane-Critical Deadline in New Orleans

WESTON completed a design/build project to increase the capacity of critical pumping stations on two canals that drain stormwater from New Orleans. The $100 million project was performed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hurricane Protection Office in 6 months—by the height of hurricane season. The temporary outfall canal pumps—an integral part of the New Orleans Storm Damage Reduction System—protect the city by pumping stormwater out of the canal and into Lake Pontchartrain when the outfall canal gates are closed to prevent storm surge from entering.

Eye on Integration

• Aligned an integrated team of designers, suppliers, and construction contractors, keeping all responsible parties accountable for achieving deliverables, and all critical-path activities on track.
• WESTON assembled an experienced team of local subcontractors with resources and supply lines already in place. Almost 80% of the total contract value was subcontracted to Louisiana-based businesses.
• WESTON started the project with a partnering conference and kept the collaborative spirit going for the duration of the project, with team members and stakeholders in constant communication to meet milestones.

Features

• 33 new pumping systems with more than 35,000 horsepower
• Project support facilities and infrastructure included:
  • Over 5,000 cubic yards of concrete and 10,000 tons of steel
  • Nearly a mile of large, 42-inch to 108-inch-diameter discharge piping
  • More than 10 miles of steel foundation pipe piles and H piles to support equipment platforms and pipe runs
• The new systems can pump approximately 7,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water from both canals, or enough to match the average water flow of eight major U.S. river systems

Performance Milestones

• Worked 24/7 to revise and generate over 200 new drawings and modifications to eliminate schedule impacts.
• Designed, procured, and installed fourteen 48-inch hydraulic pumps, each with a nominal capacity of 150 cfs, at 17th street by June 1.
• Designed and constructed new pump platforms and infrastructure for 19 new, 300-cfs pumps (11 at 17th Street and 8 at London Avenue), or an additional 2.6 million gpm, by mid-July.
• Installed, started up, and commissioned the 19 new pumping systems by the height of the hurricane season in mid-August, including integrated SCADA systems at each site.
• Implemented effective, consistent focus on worker safety, with over 310,000 hours worked without a lost-time accident.