BATON ROUGE - The Comite River Diversion project was originally set to be finished earlier this year, but there's still more work to do, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday.

The Corps met with lawmakers on the Amite River Basin and the Comite River Diversion Canal Task Force. The task force asked when the project would be completed and the Corps said that date can’t be decided until six more contracts are awarded.

The Comite project has been in the works since the 1990s and state lawmakers say they’re tired of excuses during a heated debate. Last year, WBRZ reported that the project would be completed in 2027 or 2028.

As flood insurance rates continue to go up in Louisiana, Sen. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, said the back-ups are a result of an efficiency problem.

"If you were in business for yourself, you'd be fired a long time ago," Hodges said.

Ten years ago, a historic flood devastated the Baton Rouge area, and the projects that are key to mitigating flooding like the Comite Diversion have been pushed back multiple times.

One of the projects will take more than two years to complete, the Corps said.

Hodges says she’s happy with projects the Department of Transportation and Development has completed; finishing bridges and railroads.

“But the fact that we're talking about another two years is unbelievable to me,” she said.

The Corps also announced there was another snag. The way water flows through the Comite River area could threaten a pipeline and a powerline if not addressed. Hodges says the Corps has known about the hiccup for years, but it’s not been brought up publicly until now.

The commission penned a letter to President Donald Trump, Elon Musk from the Department of Government Efficiency and the Louisiana Congressional Delegation saying “inefficiencies, apparent incompetency, and failure to provide vital information” halted progress for the project.

The commission also asked national leadership to evaluate the New Orleans leadership in the Corps and “ensur[e] that all necessary information is made available.”

FEMA previously promised to redraw flood maps, which could effectively lower flood insurance costs, once the project was fully funded and halfway complete. According to Hodges, FEMA has backtracked, prompting commission members to send a letter demanding the redrawn maps.