FM Area Diversion April Construction Update

Tom Fuchs: [00:00:00] I’m Tom Fuchs, senior construction manager for the Metro Flood Diversion Authority, with some news on big deliveries for the FM Area Diversion project.

[00:00:07] Parts of the first of three massive radial arm gates for the Red River Structure recently began arriving at the construction site south of Fargo-Moorhead. In the coming months, 27 shipments are expected to make the 1,200-mile trek from Russellville, Alabama. Once here, crews will begin gate assembly on site. Each of the Tainter gates will weigh nearly 300,000 pounds, or about as much as the Statue of Liberty. The gates will be mounted in the structure’s bays and will close during diversion operations to hold back flood water from the Red River until it can be released through the stormwater diversion channel.

[00:00:45] And that’s not all. The Corps of Engineers contractor has been continuing its concrete work, with more than 2,000 cubic yards placed in April at various features of the structure.

[00:01:01] There’s lots of concrete being poured over at the Maple River Aqueduct as well. ASN Constructors has now completed the last segment of the flume and conduit structure’s base. Crews have also completed several of the structure’s piers and have now started concrete work at the adjacent wing wall footings. As our drone view takes us from west to east, we can see the completed piers outlining the structure’s flume, where the Maple River will pass over the stormwater diversion channel.

[00:01:31] With winter in our rearview mirror, ASN Constructors have shifted from not just digging the 30-mile long stormwater diversion channel, but to also building the levees that line it. They’ve moved another 500,000 cubic yards of dirt in the past month in reaches 5 through 9, and they began constructing the levee in reach 13, which is near Horace, North Dakota.

[00:01:52] ASN is also working on a number of the channel crossings. The crossing at County Road 32 became the first of the 19 crossings to start bridge deck formwork. At the I-29 crossing north of the metro area, crews started driving H-piles.

[00:02:07] To the southwest, motorists have begun to see lane closures on I-94 as ASN begins building temporary bypasses to make way for the future bridges that will span the channel.

[00:02:22] You can stay caught up to date on any construction that may impact your commute on our website, fmdiversion.gov.