Key facts on new system

Discussion of the various features involved in the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System inevitably involves frequent use of the word “largest.” Here are some facts about the new system, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

• The 1.8-mile Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Surge Barrier at Lake Borgne is the largest design-build project in the history of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The barrier is the largest of its kind in the world and includes three gated structures and a barrier wall 28 feet above the water line.

• The Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Surge Barrier is the largest single project ever built in Louisiana and involved the largest continuous placement of concrete since the construction of the Hoover Dam.

• The New Orleans East segment of the system involved the biggest deep soil mixing and largest wick drain projects ever in the United States.

• The project's West Closure Complex includes the largest drainage pump station in the world and the largest sector gate in the United States.

• The project involves some 394 construction contracts and created approximately 60,000 jobs.