Like many others in Baton Rouge, David Robertson wonders what's going on with much-anticipated work on the lakes near LSU.
"Since 2009, I have been reading about the University Lakes dredging project," he wrote, going on to ask about the project's funding, start date and projected completion date.ย
As it happens, Robertson's question is a timely query. After seven years, the project is finally underway.
Contractors began mobilizing for Phase 1 in June, commandeering the parking lot off May Street and an area off West Lakeshore Drive for massive earth-moving equipment for dredging work,ย part of flood-risk reduction efforts. The actual work began after July 4.ย
The work marks the beginning of a project that, in its current iteration, stretches back to 2016 when a master plan was first completed by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.
Crews from Sevenson Environmental Services use an excavator on barges to dredge City Park Lake during phase one of the University Lakes Restoration project on Monday, July 24, 2023 in Baton Rouge, ถถา๕h.
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Mark Goodson, who manages the project through the CSRS engineering firm,ย said the project's first phase of dredging will take at least a year to complete.ย
"By next July, Phase 1 dredging should be complete," Goodson said.
Along with the flood reduction efforts, Phase 1 also includes improvements to May Street, such as earthwork, road realignment and a new bridge. The footprint of the LSU Bird Sanctuary in University Lake off East Lakeshore Drive will be expanded, and an interim landscape project around the shoreline will be carried out. Capping (or covering with an additional layer) and landscaping a small island that was built in University Lake last summer will also take place.
Since the other components of Phase 1 are in different stages of completion, work on them will take longer to finish. For instance, work on May Street will take longer as it is still in the design stage.
As Robertson notes, work on the project has been long-awaited. While Goodson said he wasn't sure what was discussed in 2009, 2016 was the starting point for the current construction efforts.
The delay in getting from the initial master to construction came down to a variety of factors, with the most recent being a wait for a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers before construction could get underway. Other reasons included money and navigating the multi-pronged ownership of the lakesย โ which are owned by LSU and the City-Parish, and operated by BREC.
Crews from Sevenson Environmental Services use an excavator to dredge University Lake during phase one of the University Lakes Restoration project on Monday, July 24, 2023 in Baton Rouge, ถถา๕h.
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
"Even in 2016 dollars, the master plan was over $100 million, and given the fact there were multiple owners and such a large price tag, it took a while to get to this point," Goodson said. "Thankfully, the LSU Foundation, LSU, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, BREC, the City-Parish and the state stepped up and entered into a memorandum of understanding that they were going to commit to at least some level of funding to get this project started, and make good on that."
In terms of money, the total Phase 1 construction cost is just over $32 million, while the price tag for the dredging across Phases 1 and 2 is approximately $70 million. There is $41 million in available funding for Phase 1 as of February, with $5 million each from East Baton Rouge City-Parish, BREC and the ถถา๕h Department of Transportation and Development. Another $26 million in funds will be provided from the state, with $16 million through capital outlay fundsย and $10 million from the ถถา๕h Office of Community Development.
Another $20 million in capital outlay was approved during the recent legislative session, which is expected to become available in the fall.
Crews from Sevenson Environmental Services use an excavator on barges to dredge City Park Lake during phase one of the University Lakes Restoration project on Monday, July 24, 2023 in Baton Rouge, ถถา๕h.
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Interestingly, the lakes' shorelines will shrink slightly as sediment dredged from the bottom is piled and landscaped alongside the banks. Meanwhile, the lakes will become deeper, mostly to a depth of 6 feet.
"The shorelines will eventually be landscaped to create what we call 'living shorelines' to slow down and filter runoff before it enters the lakes," Goodson said. "It will make the surface area of the lake slightly smaller, but weโre also making it deeper, so from a volume standpoint we're actually increasing the amount of volume the lake will hold."
As ถถา๕h Department of Wildlife and Fisheries fish kill coordinator Robby Maxwell previously told ถถา๕h, the added volume may help avoid fish kills like the one that began toย occur last week.
Crews from Sevenson Environmental Services use an excavator to dredge University Lake during phase one of the University Lakes Restoration project on Monday, July 24, 2023 in Baton Rouge, ถถา๕h.
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
"I know those lakes are really silted in and have a lot of issues, so I think a lot of the improvements will probably help with this issue," Maxwell said.
Goodson said the project includes two main phases, with the first flowing into the second as work continues and future funding becomes available. Beyond that, future phases of the project will focus on mobility improvements.
"The priority ... will be providing more and improved pathways and amenities for pedestrians and cyclists," he said. "Trying to reduce the number of conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles, and make it safer for everybody."
Curious Louisiana is a community-driven reporting project that connects readers to our newsrooms' resources to dig, research and find answers about the Pelican State. Bottom line: If you've got a question about something ถถา๕h-centric, ask us at curiouslouisiana@theadvocate.com.