July 26, 2024
FM Area Diversion July Construction Update
FARGO, ND (July 26, 2024) – The Metro Flood Diversion Authority’s July construction update for the FM Area Diversion project is at https://youtu.be/Rmq_MCPSR4k. This month’s highlights include:
Channel Crossings: At the stormwater diversion channel, the first of 19 bridge decks was completed at the County Road 32 Crossing this month. Crews placed about 500 cubic yards of concrete through the overnight and early morning hours to form the deck.
Inlets: ASN Constructors is working on some of the 14 river and drain inlets to the stormwater diversion channel. At the Rush River Inlet, they’ve continued excavation and are beginning to stockpile bedding and riprap for the next phases of construction, which will include armoring the excavation and placing boulder weirs on the downward transition to the stormwater diversion channel.
Maple River Aqueduct: Multiple segments of the flume slab, the surface that will carry the Maple River across the channel, were formed and concrete placed. In the past month, ASN Constructors has formed and placed nearly 2,000 cubic yards of structural concrete at various features of the aqueduct, including portions of the flume’s slab and abutments and the adjacent wingwall footings and walls.
Red River Structure: Assembly of the first of three 50-by-50-foot radial arm gates was completed, and the gate was raised this month. Next, the contractor will weld the connections to secure the 300,000-pound gate to its final position. Work also is being done to backfill abutments and install sand drainage blankets and wick drains. Preload embankments will be constructed in these areas to mitigate differential settlement amongst the flood walls, and full-height embankments will be constructed on both sides of the control structure. Nearly 1.5 million cubic yards of material will be excavated and placed throughout construction of the Red River Structure project, enough to fill the North Dakota Capitol building more than 19 times.
Southern Embankment: Construction on Reach 2B of the 22-mile-long southern embankment also is underway. Earthwork is now progressing both to the north and south of County Road 16, which has been temporarily closed for construction. The road will be raised as part of the project and extend up and over the embankment.
Stormwater Diversion Channel: Nearly 22 million cubic yards of material have now been moved for the 30-mile-long channel.
For the latest road closures and more 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.
For current photos of FM Area Diversion project construction, please contact Amy Wieser Willson at amy@neonloon.com or 218-535-5359.