Now it is understood that the entire Louisiana coast is threatened by weakened barrier islands as well as the politically charged(money charged)new orleans levee system. As an architect I came up with a solution 5 years ago, after the Des Moines flood : a buoyant flood road concept, and sent it to the nat'l FEMA director and the city, completely ignored. Then came katrina. I do a table top model, photograph it, sent to 22 coastal states governors this last christmas. Only Gov Bob Riley of Alabama responded, but he sent it on to his FEMA director. His(basic)response : do it for us for FREE. Yeah, sure....Anyway, picture 20'x20' steel road panels with rubber-like surface(like aircraft carrier decks), buoyancy chambers below, piano-hinged to top of concrete wall on landward side, dead man anchors on sea side(or river side). Along comes your hurricane storm surge, tsunami, river flood; and the panels float up into a vertical seawall, held from flopping on over by the anchors. Then when the waters abate they float back down into a useful roadway again(99.99% of its lifetime). No sand bags, no levees, just natural forces operate it. There is also a companion parasail parachute system to slow down winds based on the same principles...But HEY, I'm not going to do it for you for FREE! Ok?
This is very sad & disgusting what they did to you. They expect people working to do it for free. That's government slavery progressist mentality for you, a progressive chokehold, that is. I wonder if a lawyer or a lawyer culture advised this governor to go extortive-anorexic in this. It cannot be friendly if sharing means only one way access indeed.
On another note, the cigarette business is better, the gov gets an immediate political tax out of the addicted, while your stuff saving people what not is too long term & too noble.
Now if you were a capitalist setting up a toll system, my, you'd be called a capitalist swine, & lawyers would sue for having no government safety standards, the gov would approve & ask for licensing fees, which you would be expert at it since you're the builder, not them, because though you saved lived, some people got hurt.
(end sarcasm)