The purpose of the hurricane barrier project is to design and construct a line of flood protection from surges from Lake Borgne produced by a 1-percent-annual-chance hurricane and provide an advance measure to improve protection from surges by June 1, 2009. The IHNC flood protection barrier is to be built by the end of 2011 near the confluence of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a natural funnel identified as an area of critical vulnerability.

The project features a shallow draft navigation pass located on the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway, east of the Michoud Canal. Sector gates will be used for flood gates. Tetra Tech INCA in joint venture with Gerwick is responsible for the concept design and detailed design of the main sector gate structure which will be used to regulate navigation, tidal flows, and storm surge into the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal. The INCA-Gerwick JV will develop the detailed design of the flood barrier, structural monoliths, and foundations.

Design features include: hydraulic modeling to prove all structures safe for navigation, and flood gates for navigation passes, designed to open and close in a timely manner in the event of hurricane, and a 100-meter-wide and 12-meter-deep navigation canal pass from the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal to and through the Michoud Canal.

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