Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women

As part of the State of Louisiana's investment in modernizing correctional facilities, Arkel Constructors, in a joint venture with Caddell Construction, provided Construction Manager at Risk (CMaR) services for the new Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. The 307,000-square-foot campus replaced the previous facility lost during the 2016 flood and was designed to enhance security while supporting rehabilitation, education, healthcare, and reentry services for Louisiana's incarcerated female population.

Situated on an 85-acre campus, the facility consists of 15 buildings, including an administration building, medical and mental health center, housing units, educational and vocational training facilities, gymnasium, kitchen, postpartum care building, maintenance warehouse, and supporting infrastructure. The medical complex features comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services, including exam rooms, dental and optometry suites, behavioral health services, patient isolation rooms, and 20-bed inpatient wards, while the maternal care building provides dedicated labor, delivery, and postpartum care.

The project's complexity required meticulous coordination to construct 15 buildings simultaneously while managing more than 500 workers on site each day. Through proactive preconstruction planning, strategic procurement of long-lead materials, and collaborative CMaR delivery, the team successfully navigated challenging site logistics, adverse weather conditions, and evolving owner requirements. Arkel Constructor's commitment to early collaboration, Lean planning principles, and disciplined project execution helped keep the project on schedule while delivering a state-of-the-art correctional campus that will serve Louisiana for decades to come.

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