Morganza Spillway weir, two sluice gates, seventeen scour indicators, and 125 gated openings which can allow up to of water to be diverted from the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya Basin during major floods. The project was completed in 1954. A highway (Louisiana Route 1) and the Kansas City Southern Railway cross the structure The Corps of Engineers maintains the structures and, in times of flood, monitors their piers for scouring and stability. The Corps of Engineers has two 25-ton cranes used to lift and lower the flood gates. The cranes roll on special tracks next to the roadway, enabling the operators
Morganza to the Gulf benefits to the marshes and wetlands in the Terrebonne Basin. Safe Harbor: Fishermen will no longer have to leave the area in a storm event. A Reconnaissance Study for the Morganza, Louisiana to the Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Protection Project was authorized by Congress in 1992. Following completion of this report, the United States Congress authorized a Feasibility Study in the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 1995 (Public Law 103-316). The Feasibility Study was completed in March 2002 and the Chief of Engineers letter was forwarded to the Secretary of the Army in August 2002 and supplemented in