BATON ROUGE — The Comite Diversion Canal project is now 67 percent complete, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Rene Poche with the Army Corps of Engineers said the project is on track for full completion by the end of 2028, which would include removing the current dams.

"We're looking toward the end of 2028 for project completion, that's 100 percent complete," Poche said.

Once finished, the canal will be fully functioning. "It will move as much water as the Arkansas River moves," Poche said.

The final cost of the project is $819 million. All major utilities have been relocated and all contracts have been awarded.

Five bridges are needed for the project. The McHugh Road bridge was completed in 2022 but remains closed to traffic. The La. Highway 19 bridge is still under construction.

Glenn Ledet, the Department of Transportation and Development secretary, said work on that bridge is still active. "The north side is open for traffic now, we're working on the south side and we're doing the rail bridge," Ledet said.

"These are bridges that actually cross this 12-mile diversion canal," Ledet said.

The canal is 300 feet wide, at least 50 feet deep and has land on either side. In 2018, the state had only purchased 40 percent of the land it needed. That land has since been fully acquired.

"The team has done a good job to acquire all the parcels necessary for the outfall and the channel and so the project is moving forward," Ledet said.