BATON ROUGE - Construction of the Comite River Diversion project has been in the works for decades, but delays continue to follow any progress.

Crews have been digging a twelve-mile channel to divert flood waters from the Comite River to the Mississippi. Friday government leaders recommitted themselves to completing the project at a ceremony near the construction site.

Paul Sawyer, Executive Director of the Amite River Basin Commission says finishing the decades-old project will be a relief.

"We've seen this project on its deathbed numerous times, and I think when it's done, it will have been the most frustrating, but highly anticipated event in the capital region," Sawyer said.

Finishing the Comite Diversion project will likely not happen until the end of 2027 or the beginning of 2028, according to the latest timetable. Previous timetables had the work being completed by now.

The Comite Basin is a piece of a larger project. While progress has been slow and Comite completion dates have been pushed back, there is even more work to do to manage flooding and drainage in the state.

"Comite is one part of an incomplete system," Sawyer said. "It is vital. It is important. It will control watershed management in the state. You cannot have flood control in the Amite River basin without the Comite diversion. But it's one project. The [Army] Corps [of Engineers] recognizes this as a dynamic system."