Academy Park Green Infrastructure Drainage Project
The Academy Park Green Infrastructure Drainage Upgrades project in New Orleans will reduce flood risk through a combination of structural and non-structural interventions to more efficiently remove stormwater runoff from streets and properties. The project is located in Academy Park a 15-square block area bounded by Dwyer Road, Wilson Avenue, Dreux Avenue, and Chantilly Drive in the Plum Orchard neighborhood of New Orleans. The area is predominantly residential.
The strategy for this project is two-pronged. The first component of the project will increase the capacity of the subsurface drainage between local streets and main drain lines heading towards the Dwyer Road Drainage Pump Station. All upgrades will be designed to accommodate and/or mitigate the 10-year 24-hour storm event as modeled by the City of New Orleans Drainage Master Plan.
The second component of this project will be to slow down, retain, and absorb stormwater before it enters the subsurface system through the use of green infrastructure. Green Infrastructure improvements include detention, bioswales, urban forest, and rain gardens. The concept is to focus on the 15-square block area of the neighborhood including public right of ways, parks, or other open green spaces. The design team (including a Landscape Architect) is responsible for establishing an appropriate balance between grey and green infrastructure that meets both HUD and FEMA Benefit-Cost Analysis requirements and the City’s Resilience Goals. The project included extensive coordination with the Landscape Architect on the design of bioswales and rain gardens.
Substantial Completion Date: November 2017
Construction Cost: $5,200,000 (EST.)