First phase of new N.O. surge barrier done

NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Contractors have finished the first phase of a massive barrier closing Mr. Go, the canal connecting New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet Canal, MR-GO or Mr. Go for short, gave storm surge a shortcut during Hurricane Katrina, spurring calls to block the 44-year-old waterway. Contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed driving 1,271 140-foot concrete pilings into the mud and clay under Mr. Go, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported Wednesday.

"I think of this as kind of driving the last concrete stake into the heart of MR-GO, and it's a big stake, " said Col. Robert Sinkler, Hurricane Protection Office commander for the corps. "It will turn MR-GO into a no-go, and it reduces the risk of storm surges. It's a real milestone."

The surge barrier is scheduled to be completed by June 1, 2011. The cost estimate is more than $1 billion.

Once the barrier is completed, officials say it will be able to stop storm surges of close to 30 feet.

Mr. Go, 76 miles long, was completed in 1965. A quarter-century later, the canal had become three times as wide as its original design because of erosion in vulnerable wetlands.