Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex, Flood protection complex in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, US.

The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex is a flood protection system in Belle Chasse that combines multiple water control structures. It features a navigable floodgate, a pumping station, reinforced floodwalls, sluice gates, and earthen levees designed to work together as an integrated network.

Construction began in August 2009 and the facility opened in April 2014 as part of New Orleans' expanded flood protection efforts. This project represented a major investment in the region's defense systems following earlier hurricane experiences.

The complex takes its name from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the federal barge channel it crosses; its 225-foot navigable floodgate stays open to commercial barge traffic and closes only during storm events. The site borders the EPA's Bayou aux Carpes wetland, a 404(c) area of national significance, and the floodwall was routed along the wetland's eastern edge to limit construction impacts.

The complex sits near where Harvey and Algiers canals meet, making it accessible from nearby roads. You can view the pumping stations and gates from several vantage points around the structures.

The 11-bay pump station runs on eleven Caterpillar engines of 5,444 horsepower each and can move 194,251 cubic feet per second, the largest complex of its type in the world. Its 225-foot navigable floodgate lets commercial barges keep using the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway even when the gate is shut.