Out on the far fringes of New Orleans, a against an invading army of contemporary threats.
Those threats no longer involve invading British warships β the reason the now-crumbling Fort Pike was built in the same location on the northeastern edge of the city. They instead have to do with the range of enemies now tearing at south Louisianaβs existence: storm surge, saltwater intrusion, sea level rise and erosion.
The problem? That land is
The stateβs long struggle to maintain what is known as the East Orleans Landbridge, which divides Lake Pontchartrain, Lake St. Catherine and Lake Borgne, is costly and painstaking. But it is now in line for an important boost with what would be the largest restoration project yet for the landbridge.
A plan to restore the equivalent of at a cost of $101 million is moving toward final approval. The project would be paid for with funds related to the 2010 BP oil spill, money that has allowed Louisiana to pursue a wide array of coastal restoration projects.
Place like Rigolets Estates would benefit from a proposed $101 million restoration plan that would rebuild more than 1,300 acres of the East Orleans Landbridge, a critical stretch of marsh that helps protect communities around Lake Pontchartrain from flooding and preserves the lakeΓs ecology, photographed Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
It will by no means solve the problem. The restoration plan addresses only one portion of a far larger stretch of land and marsh that is under threat every minute.
But it is important nonetheless, coastal officials and advocates say, allowing the state to at least temporarily turn back the tide in one area of a vital location.
βYou can look at a map and see how critical it is to separating the waters" of the three lakes, said April Newman, project manager for the stateβs Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, which is carrying out the plan.
βRestoring the marsh will give it a longer lifespan so it can serve that important purpose.β
Out on the island
The entire landbridge has been described as some of the most important land in all of south Louisiana. That has to do with its location.
Drivers used to the journey all the way down US 90, or Chef Menteur Highway, are familiar with it. Past where the levee system ends and across the old swing bridge over Chef Pass, it suddenly feels more like Grand Isle than Louisianaβs biggest city.
Elevated camps line the narrow strip between Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine, an area locals refer to as βthe island.β On the far end, the road leads to a newer bridge over the Rigolets pass and then St. Tammany Parish.
The island and surrounding marsh all make up the landbridge. It is estimated to protect some 1.5 million people in the New Orleans area from storm surge, on both sides of the lake.
Losing it would allow Gulf waters to roll in with little resistance, threatening the areaβs levee system. It would also drastically change the Lake Pontchartrain estuaryβs brackish ecosystem forever.
Erosion, subsidence, sea level rise and hurricanes have long been peeling away at the landbridge, similar to most of Louisianaβs coastline. One section of it is estimated to have .
The stateβs coastal master plan lays out a larger strategy for Β Smaller restoration projects have occurred in the past.
The project currently in line for approval focuses on an area on the northeastern end, lining the gradually widening Rigolets, the pass that leads from Lake Pontchartrain to Lake Borgne, the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf.
Newman says that roughly half of the project area is already underwater. The shoreline in that area could retreat by another 95 feet by 2043 if no action were taken, the project proposal says.
Through cost-benefit analysis, consideration of duck hunting leases and other factors, the state crafted a plan that would restore 1,320 acres with sediment from nearby Lake St. Catherine. The sediment would amount to around 5 million cubic yards, which would overflow the Superdome.
The project would also include shoreline protection along the Rigolets in the form of permeable containers with limestone to help prevent erosion. Native vegetation, including cordgrass and roseau cane, would be planted atop the sediment.
A proposed $101 million restoration plan would rebuild more than 1,300 acres of the East Orleans Landbridge, a critical stretch of marsh that helps protect communities around Lake Pontchartrain from flooding and preserves the lakeΓs ecology, seen from the US. Hwy. 90 Rigolets Bridge Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
Trustees overseeing BP dollars must give final approval to the plan, which Newman expects to occur in October. Construction could then begin in the fall of 2027 and could last around three years.
Like all such projects, its designed lifespan will be two decades.
'Really important'
At Rigolets Marina, a launching point for crowds of area fishermen, owner Lester RalphΒ said he was glad to see any type of marsh restoration. But he questioned how long it would last and proposed his own idea: use the existing rail line further out and into Mississippi to construct a protective berm and floodgates to keep water from moving in during storms.
βIf you did all that and focused it at your outer boundary rather than focusing on inner boundaries, then you would protect everything,β Ralph, 78, said inside the elevated shop at his marina, overlooking the boat launch below.
Regardless of whether that type of project could ever be possible, Ralph touched on several issues at once: What type of restoration and protection projects should the state build? Which ones are actually feasible and achievable? How much money will Louisiana have to spend on them?
The BP funds cannot be used for coastal protection projects, only restoration, since the money is designated to repair what the spill harmed. That money will also expire by 2032, though projects already in the works by that time will continue.
Place like Rigolets Estates would benefit from a proposed $101 million restoration plan that would rebuild more than 1,300 acres of the East Orleans Landbridge, a critical stretch of marsh that helps protect communities around Lake Pontchartrain from flooding and preserves the lakeΓs ecology, photographed Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
Among coastal advocates, the landbridge has long been a priority and the new plan is a welcome sign.
The Restore the Mississippi River Delta coalition, which has long advocated for landbridge restoration, has distributed a letter in support of the project with more than 100 signatures from community leaders, businesspeople, activists and politicians.
Amanda Moore, who is part of the coalition as senior director of the Gulf program for the National Wildlife Federation, said it is hard to overstate the importance of maintaining the landbridge. She has been among those seeking to draw attention to the need for restoration in recent years.
βIt is critical for storm surge reduction, for the hydrology and the salinity maintenance of the area, for wildlife habitat, and so it serves a lot of really important functions,β Moore said.
βHaving that be maintained and be restored is critical to protection for all the communities around Lake Pontchartrain.β