BATON ROUGE - The Comite River Diversion project has received additional funding to move forward. A $3.4 million contract was awarded to clean and snag three bayous in the Zachary area.

State Rep. Barbara Carpenter's district is surrounded by the Comite River, and after the 2016 flood, Carpenter says much of the area had to be rebuilt entirely.

"This area really is a result of the 2016 flood because here to for, we really had not had flooding as such, which really was a surprise," Carpenter said.

Nearly ten years later, there's more movement on the long-awaited flood prevention project.

"It just took effort to get it done," she said.

The U.S. Corps of Engineers awarded a contract for clearing and grubbing the White and Cypress Bayous and Bayou Baton Rouge. J.A.T. Trucking and Construction Services from Gonzales will handle the work.

"There are a lot of Bayous in this area that are impacted by water, and so the slowness of the way the project has happened is necessary to move forward so we won't have this problem again," Carpenter said.

In a statement, the Corps of Engineers said:

"The Corps is excited to officially award the final contract for its construction of the Comite River Diversion project, a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to enhance flood risk reduction and resilience in the region," Col. Scotty Autin, Commander of the New Orleans District, said.

WBRZ asked whether the government shutdown might affect the momentum of the project. A source says the timeline likely won't change since the work was fully funded in 2018.