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Bayou Terre Aux Boeufs Ridge Restoration Armoring

Project Overview
Delacroix Island is a critical economic, cultural, and social component of St. Bernard Parish (SBP) and serves as a link between the centralized business center and the outer most port with access to marshes and bayous. However, due to factors such as erosion, subsidence, sea-level rise, and lack of sediment replenishment, Delacroix Island and its surrounding area are facing severe issues with land-loss, which threaten its future viability and outlook. Recognizing this, the Bayou Terre Aux Boeufs ridge system, which protects further inland areas of SBP, was included for restoration in the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) 2017 Coastal Master Plan. To further the protection of the ridge system, the SBP Government (SBPG) contracted Royal to perform the necessary engineering work and analysis for armoring the remaining ridges.

Project Work and Royal Solutions
First, Royal performed a comprehensive data gap analysis, and then we directed the collection of topographic, bathymetric, magnetometer, and discharge surveys within the project area. Then our team started the design engineering, which focused on the assessment of the governing factors responsible for shoreline recession. The results exhibited and determined a suitable armor stone gradation and armoring scheme template based on the project bankline geometry. We developed the phasing plan in accordance with guidance by SBPG, which prioritized bayou reaches based on available funding for construction. Throughout the process, Royal’s environmental compliance team obtained all required permits for the project. As the design engineer our team delivered a final design report, final plan set, construction specifications, and a final estimated opinion of probable construction cost. Royal also provided bid phase services, resident inspection, and construction management of the first phase of construction (Bayou Gentilly ~2,000 linear feet of shoreline protection). Royal’s Construction Management and Resident Inspection team utilized our RoyalVUE platform, which allowed for real-time observations and quantity takeoffs to be uploaded.

Royal was also recently selected by SBPG to provide bid phase services, resident inspection, and construction management of the second phase of construction. It is estimated that the second phase will involve an additional 8,000 linear feet of shoreline protection and will also include a re-vegetation component consisting of 10,000 bald cypress and water tupelo plantings. Due to the success of the first phase of this project, St. Bernard Parish awarded Royal additional phases of this project to design and oversee construction.