Dredging work on barrier islands to begin later this year
The state has awarded two contracts worth a combined $90 million to an Illinois company to restore barrier islands in lower Plaquemines Parish. The state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority awarded a $46.5 million dredging contract to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Corp. of Oakbrook, Ill., to restore barrier shoreline on Scofield Island and a $43 million deal for work on nearby Pelican Island.
Scofield Island suffered severe erosion and a breach during Hurricane Lily in 2002. Great Lakes will use Mississippi River sediment to restore the dune system and a barrier marsh. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year and wrap up next year.