Cajun Constructors Inc. recently received two Superior Safety Performance Awards at the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mississippi Valley Division Safety Now Banquet. The Corps recognized Cajun Constructors Inc. as the overall winner among contractors throughout the Mississippi Valley for its positive attitude toward safety, and for outstanding performance on construction of the Chalmette Loop Levee in Louisiana. The team exhibited outstanding management and safety awareness, working more than 1.5 million man-hours with zero lost-time accidents.

The project called for the construction of a concrete “T” wall atop an existing earthen levee which spanned approximately 8.2. The first item of construction was the installation of 8.2 miles of limestone access road and crane-leveling pad. A total of 250,000 tons of #610 limestone was used. As the H-piles were received on the jobsite, the pile-driving crew began driving the piles. They were immediately followed by a stabilization-slab crew, which utilized a 65-ton picker crane, then a base-slab crew, which utilized an 80-ton lattice boom crane, and finally a wall crew, which utilized a 100-ton lattice boom crane.

The total linear footage of H-piles driven was 2,174,948 feet, and 1.7 million square feet of steel sheet piling (PZ 23.6) was installed. Once all concrete was placed, the gates were installed, and 100 percent flood protection was achieved.