Foundation Repair Baton Rouge follows flood-control news because it changes the repair-or-raise math for a lot of our customers. Ten years after the August 2016 flood, the project most often mentioned in that conversation — the Comite River Diversion Canal — was the subject of a state task force meeting on August 31, 2026.
Where the project stands
According to reporting from WAFB and WBRZ on that meeting, the overall project is about 64% complete, but the diversion structure itself — the part that actually moves Comite River floodwater west to the Mississippi — is about 35% complete. Two bridges are finished and a third is under construction, expected in 2028. The diversion feature is expected to reach 50% in spring 2027.
Two “percent complete” numbers, and why they differ
You will see different figures for the same project. They measure different things.
| Figure | Source | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| 67% complete | Army Corps of Engineers, via WBRZ (Aug. 11, 2026) | Overall project; Corps projects 100% “toward the end of 2028,” including removing the current dams |
| 64% complete | Task force meeting, via WAFB (Aug. 31, 2026) | Overall project |
| 35% complete | Task force meeting, via WAFB (Aug. 31, 2026) | The diversion feature that moves floodwater; 50% expected spring 2027 |
The WAFB report also gives the project cost as nearly $1 billion, with 17 of 23 awarded contracts complete. WBRZ reports five bridges are required: the McHugh Road bridge was finished in 2022 but remains closed, and the Louisiana Highway 19 bridge is still under construction. No newer figure had been published as of Nov. 5, 2026, so treat all of these as early-fall numbers.
Why the 50% mark matters
FEMA traditionally redraws flood maps once a project like this is half complete. Officials said FEMA now applies that benchmark to the diversion feature specifically, not the overall project. Updated maps could move about 13,000 Livingston Parish homes out of high-risk flood zones, with the earliest premium reductions possible around the end of 2027. FEMA did not attend the August 31 meeting and responded by email, which drew criticism from the task force. The Corps’ Col. Scotty Autin disputed FEMA’s reading, saying he believes the threshold is “50% of project totality,” so the rule itself is still contested (WAFB, Aug. 31, 2026). Until FEMA publishes revised maps, nothing about your flood zone or premium has changed.
What it means for foundation decisions
For homeowners in Central, Denham Springs, Walker and Greenwell Springs who flooded in 2016, the canal affects two decisions:
- Raise or repair? If your home may move out of a high-risk zone, the insurance savings from raising it shrink. That doesn’t change the physical flood risk of a low house, but it changes the financial case. If you’re weighing house raising, get both numbers and watch the map revisions.
- Settlement still needs fixing. The canal won’t change what has already happened under slabs rebuilt after 2016. Post-flood settlement — saturated fill consolidating unevenly — shows up as new cracks and binding doors years later, and flood insurance excludes it as earth movement. See foundation damage after a flood.
What to do now
Your own check, any time: call the Livingston Parish or East Baton Rouge Parish floodplain office and ask your address’s current flood zone and base flood elevation. Then compare your finished-floor elevation to it before deciding anything about raising. Our house raising cost guide shows what that decision costs.
If you’re seeing new cracks in a home rebuilt after 2016, get it measured now rather than waiting on flood maps. If you’re considering raising, ask your parish about Flood Mitigation Assistance and keep an eye on the map revision timeline before committing. If you have no flood policy yet, FEMA now sells one online.
Update, November 5, 2026: added the Corps’ 67% figure and the reasons the percentages differ, FEMA’s disputed threshold, and project cost and contract counts. No newer completion figure had been reported by this date.
Sources: WBRZ, “Rising above: Louisiana’s Comite Diversion Canal is 67% complete with a projected 2028 finish date,” Aug. 11, 2026; WAFB, “FEMA absence at Comite diversion meeting leaves flood insurance questions unanswered,” Aug. 31, 2026; WBRZ, “Comite Diversion Canal more than halfway done, but flood insurance relief is still a ways off,” Aug. 31, 2026.