ZACHARY — The completion of the Comite River Diversion Canal Project has once again been pushed back, this time to the end of 2027 or the start of 2028, the Army Corps of Engineers said.

The Comite River Diversion is a flood risk management project that will connect the Comite River to the Mississippi River via a 12-mile diversion channel to reduce the risk of rain and river flooding.

The project has six contracts left up for grabs, with one of the previously reported five being split into two separate contracts. The contracts have not yet been put up for bid and are expected to be awarded by the end of 2025, the Corps of Engineers said.

The final contract will be for clearing and snagging the canal.

The contracts will take on average 18 months to two years to complete. Because the canal cannot operate to its full potential until all contracts are completed, this significantly hinders an already pushed-back schedule for the project.

Originally, the project was due to be finished by December 2022. It was delayed to Comite River Diversion in 2023.

Congressman Garrett Graves told WBRZ that the project could be finished by 2026.

On Thursday, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said the project is fully funded and more than ¾ of the way complete.