August 23, 2024
FM Area Diversion August Construction Update
FARGO, ND (August 23, 2024) – This month, ASN Constructors surpassed the halfway point of excavating the 30-mile-long stormwater diversion channel for the FM Area Diversion project. The channel, which is being constructed through a public-private partnership with the Red River Valley Alliance, will safely move floodwaters around the Fargo-Moorhead metro area in times of significant flooding. Of the 45 million cubic yards that ASN will excavate, 23.5 million cubic yards have now been moved. For perspective, that’s enough earth to construct seven-and-a-half full-size replicas of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
“We have reached an exciting milestone with half of the stormwater diversion channel excavation now being complete,” said Pedro Martinez, project director for ASN Constructors. “ASN Constructors is proud of the work we are doing for the communities we live and work in, and this milestone brings all of us one step closer to permanent, reliable flood protection. Work has been ongoing day and night, nearly 365 days a year, to get to this point, and we are committed to continuing our work to finish the channel and associated structures.”
Views of the excavation on Reach 13 of the channel can be seen in this month’s video overview, along with other recent construction activity.
This progress and other updates can be viewed at the August 2024 Construction Flyover video.
Transcript: August 2024 Construction Flyover
Click to expand transcript
Tom Fuchs: [00:00:00] Hi, I’m Tom Fuchs, senior construction manager with the Metro Flood Diversion Authority. Work on the FM Area Diversion project has been progressing at numerous locations around the Fargo-Moorhead metro area. Here are some of the highlights for this month.
[00:00:20] The largest of three control structures, the Red River Structure, is taking shape with the first gates now hung. Delivery of components for the second of three 50 by 52.5-foot radial arm gates is now underway. Once completed, the gates will remain open until the project needs to operate, at which time they will close to hold back flood waters from entering the FM Metro.
[00:00:44] In addition to the gates, Ames Construction has completed placing preload embankments on the east and west sides of the structure. They’ve also begun driving sheet piles and H-piles for the east side flood wall and are building concrete gate well structures that will house instrumentation for measuring the water surface levels both up and downstream of the structure when it operates.
[00:01:22] Nearby at the southern embankment, earthwork continues at reach SE 2B. R.J. Zavoral and Sons, the US Army Corps of Engineers contractor, is also now installing the first pre-cast concrete box culvert segments where the borrow ditch will cross County Road 16. More than 2 million cubic yards of material will be excavated to construct the project.
[00:01:57] As we move west, we can see excavation taking place at reach 13 of the stormwater diversion channel. ASN Constructors has surpassed the halfway mark for moving the required 45 million cubic yards of material. That means they’ve excavated enough earth to construct seven full-size replicas of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
[00:02:32] 19 road and railroad bridges will cross the 30-mile long channel, and they are all under construction this summer. Near the channel’s downstream end, ASN Constructors poured the bridge deck at the County Road 4 and 31 combined crossing this month.
[00:02:58] Just north of the metro area at the I-29 crossing, progress has been made on the bridge abutments and piers, and girders are now installed on one of the pair of interstate crossings. Our drone view of this area also shows the work happening on the nearby crossings at County Road 81 as well as the BNSF Hillsboro railroad. Excavation is underway at both future bridges and crews are constructing embankments raising the mainline grades on the approaches to them.
[00:03:43] At the BNSF Prosper crossing, bridge piers have been built and the work shifted in recent weeks to building the bridge abutments for the new rail line.
[00:04:03] In addition to the 19 road and railroad bridges, ASN Constructors is building nine maintenance road bridges. The first at the Lower Rush River inlet site now has the substructure elements completed and the bridge girders installed. When completed, the new river inlet will feature an open channel excavation lined with riprap passing underneath the maintenance road bridge.
Channel Crossings: All 19 road and railroad crossings that comprise the P3 portion of the project are under construction. At County Road 4 and 31, ASN Constructors poured the bridge deck for the combined crossing. Just north of the metro area, at the I-29 crossing, they worked on forming the bridge abutments and piers, and they also installed girders at one of the pair of interstate crossings. Excavation for the County Road 81 crossing also is underway. For rail line crossings, ASN built bridge piers and began constructing the abutments for the new line at BNSF Prosper. They also excavated at the BNSF Hillsboro crossing site.
Inlets: In addition to the 19 road and railroad bridges, ASN Constructors is building nine maintenance road bridges. The first, at the Lower Rush River Inlet site, now has the substructure elements completed and the bridge girders installed.
Red River Structure: The first gate is up at the largest of three control structures, and components for the second of three 50-by-52.5-foot radial-arm gates are being delivered. The contractor at the site also completed preload embankments on the east and west sides of the structure. They’ve begun driving sheet piles and h-piles for the eastside floodwall, and they are building concrete gage well structures that will house instrumentation for measuring the water surface level both up- and downstream of the structure when the project operates.
Southern Embankment: Earthwork continues on the 22-mile-long southern embankment where there U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor is installing the first precast concrete box culvert segments where the borrow ditch will cross County Road 16.
For the latest construction information, go to FMDiversion.gov.
About the Metro Flood Diversion Authority
The MFDA is a permanent North Dakota political subdivision that is cooperatively implementing the Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion comprehensive project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The MFDA works in partnership with the Red River Valley Alliance in a public-private partnership as well as the City of Fargo, City of Moorhead, Cass County, Clay County and the Cass County Joint Water Resource District. MFDA media inquiries may be directed to Amy Wieser Willson at 218-535-5359 or amy@neonloon.com.
About the Red River Valley Alliance
Red River Valley Alliance is the P3 developer for the Stormwater Diversion Channel and Associated Infrastructure (SWDCAI) portion of the comprehensive FM Area Diversion project. Established in 2021, RRVA partner companies include ACCIONA, Shikun & Binui USA, and North American Construction Group. As the developer, RRVA is responsible for the design, construction, finance, operation and maintenance of the stormwater diversion channel. Upon completion of construction, RRVA will operate and maintain the channel for 30 years. RRVA media inquiries may be directed to Tara Ekren at 701-206-3294 or pio@rrvafm.com.