A Cottonport company is among four contractors who were awarded contracts by the Army Corps of Engineers to raise 16 miles of the Mississippi River's West Bank levee to guard against a repeat of the overtopping that occurred when Hurricane Katrina's storm surge briefly reversed the river's flow. The four contracts total $36 million, including Merrick Construction Company of Cottonport portion at $10.2 million;

The levee will be raised up to 5 feet from Algiers to Oakville in Plaquemines Parish to protect against a 100-year storm, which has a 1 percent chance of hitting in a given year.

The work began last week and is expected to be completed by the June 1 start of the 2011 hurricane season.

The fast-track project will use soil stabilized with lime so the levees can be built with a steeper slope, which saves time because the work can be done within the existing right-of-way.

Other firms which received contracts: Cycle Construction Company of Kenner, $15.5 million; Shavers-Whittle Construction of Covington, $6.2 million; and a joint venture of Allen Wright Enterprises of Folsom and Hamp's Construction of New Orleans, $4.2 million.

The levee was topped in some areas below New Orleans as Katrina's storm surge overpowered the mighty Mississippi, flooding much of Plaquemine Parish.

The levee will be raised anywhere from a few inches in spots to as much 5 feet in other areas, increasing the overall height to about 21 feet above sea level.

The Corps engineers have said levees farther upriver will not be need to be raised as they are high enough to protect the area from waves and surges associated with a 100-year storm.