ZACHARY - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District will be closing the eastern portion of Carney Road at LA Highway 964 on Nov. 7 for the construction of the Comite River Diversion Channel.

Residents traveling on Barnett and Carney roads will be detoured north to LA Highway 64 via Barnett Road and should plan alternate routes. They will, however, be allowed to use a USACE temporary construction access road connecting Barnett Road and U.S. Highway 61 during emergencies. 

The construction for the new route and bridge over the Bayou Baton Rouge bypass canal is expected to take at least three years, according to a press release by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.   

The Comite River Diversion Channel will reduce the risk of flooding by diverting water from the Comite River to the Mississippi River with a 12-mile diversion channel. The project will also include the construction of five vehicular bridges, two railroad bridges and rock chutes.