BATON ROUGE — Six portions of the Comite River Diversion project remain under construction as work continues toward a projected late 2028 completion, according to a recent update from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
Current work includes construction near LA 19. Crews have also cleared more than 500,000 cubic yards of material from the diversion channel.
All 23 contracts connected to the project were awarded by the end of September 2025. The Corps oversees 20 of the contracts, while DOTD oversees three. The Corps awarded its final contract Sept. 30, 2025, for clearing and snagging White, Cypress, and Bayou Baton Rouge.
The project calls for a 12-mile channel that will divert floodwater from the Comite River into the Mississippi River. It is intended to reduce flood risks from heavy rainfall and headwater flooding in the Comite River Basin, including portions of Livingston and East Baton Rouge parishes.
According to the Corps, approximately 79,000 homes flooded in Livingston and East Baton Rouge parishes during the August 2016 flood, causing an estimated $2.3 billion in residential property damage in the two parishes.
