July 30, 2025
FM Area Diversion July Construction Update
FARGO, ND (July 30, 2025) – Progress continues on the FM Area Diversion project, where the third of 19 crossings over the stormwater diversion channel opened to traffic this month. Advancement on other components is highlighted in this month’s drone video, https://youtu.be/_xwaeYnsmQo?feature=shared.
Crossings: The County Road 20 crossing opened to traffic at the start of the month, and work continued on some of the 16 other unfinished bridges. At the 32nd Avenue West bridge, ASN Constructors placed nearly 700 cubic yards of concrete. Northwest of Harwood, North Dakota, interstate travelers will notice lane closures have commenced with grading and concrete paving work underway on I-29. Crews are forming the permanent roadway approaches to both bridges along with lane tie-ins at both ends of the work site. Also in this area, crews placed 500 cubic yards for the concrete bridge deck on the new BNSF Hillsboro crossing. Bridge deck formwork for the County Road 81 crossing also began. Additionally, work continued at the BNSF Prosper crossing, where precast concrete girders were installed this month.
Inlets: ASN Constructors installed precast concrete pipe and began forming headwalls for the County Roads 16 and 17 drain inlet, which is one of 15 river and drain inlets that will discharge water into the stormwater diversion channel.
Maple River Aqueduct: ASN Constructors placed both bridge decks where the stormwater diversion channel’s maintenance roads span the aqueduct’s flume. Crews continue forming and placing the flume and conduit structure’s remaining concrete railings, and metal railings are now installed around the structure. At the aqueduct spillway, sheet piling installation is nearly complete.
Southern Embankment: The 22-mile southern embankment is being constructed in segments by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors. On the Minnesota side of the Red River, at Reach SE-4, PWS Inc. excavated and placed bedding and riprap to form vertical drop structures at the project’s downstream end, both where the drainage ditch meets Wolverton Creek and the borrow ditch meets the Red River. The completed drop structures establish functional drainage outlets for the project, promoting drainage from the upstream work areas where excavation and embankment work continue. Approximately 1.5 million cubic yards of clay will be excavated and placed across the 5.7-mile reach. For perspective, that’s enough to fill the ND State Capitol building nearly 19 times.
About 6 miles west, just south of Horace, North Dakota, work also continues at Reach SE-1B. The three-quarter mile reach will connect the diversion inlet structure to reach SE-1. HSG Park Joint Venture 2 removed the existing roadway and completed backfilling the inspection trench. Now, full height construction is underway.
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.