Flood protection proceeds through phases
Burlington to celebrate wrap-up Sept. 19
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The Burlington community will be celebrating the completion of flood protection at a barbecue and ribbon-cutting Tuesday, Sept. 19.
"That project as a whole is substantially complete, so flood protection in Burlington is essentially finished," said Ryan Ackerman, administrator for the Souris River Joint Board, who reported on the status of flood protection to the Ward County Commission Tuesday. "That's a big deal for the community of Burlington."
The Burlington project was completed in four phases, beginning with a bridge replacement several years ago.
The Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection project also is reaching completion on the Tierrecita Vallejo phase of the project.
"That levee is substantially complete and we will be releasing the contractor on that one likely within the next month or so," Ackerman said. "There is one piece of that infrastructure that has yet to be completed, and that is the construction of basically a railroad grade raise through Tierrecita Vallejo that we have to do in coordination with CP Rail that is likely to be completed next year."
The joint board also recently cut the ribbon on a bridge replacement at Sawyer. Still planned is a bridge replacement in Velva that will be bid in January for construction in 2024. A bridge replacement at Mouse River Park near Mohall will be bid in November for construction in 2024.
"The major piece of construction that's happening right now is Phase MI-5. That's the northeast tie-back flood wall here in Minot. It's being done by Wagner Construction. Heavy construction is going to continue, likely through 2024," Ackerman said.
The project runs from the Third Street viaduct to the Xcel Energy substation on the east, along Fourth Avenue Northeast. Cleanup is likely to spill into 2025 on that phase, Ackerman added.
On the project design side, Phase MI-4, the Maple Diversion in Minot, is about 50% completed, he said.
"Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a whole lot of progress made on that particular phase of the project in the last three or four months, as negotiations have been ongoing with the various railroad entities," Ackerman said. "I believe that we are getting close to resolution with CP Rail, BNSF and Amtrak. So we’re inching toward resolution with some of their concerns. But really, until we get those concerns ironed out, it didn’t make sense to keep on marching forward with design because the design will change depending on the outcome of those negotiations."
The joint board anticipates bidding the project in the fall of 2024, with construction from 2025 through 2028.
Other phases in design within Minot city limits are MI-6 and MI-7. MI-6 is on the south side of the river, beginning at Main Street and extending to about Roosevelt Park on the east end. MI-7 is adjacent to MI-6, picking up at the Roosevelt Park pool and continuing east through the zoo, terminating at Burdick Expressway.
Those designs will be completed by the end of the year, with bidding expected in January, Ackerman said. Construction would happen from 2024 to 2026.
Future phases to be designed include the Robinwood, Country Club Acres and Brooks Addition levee. Design potentially could start before the end of this year, Ackerman said. Funding also has been set aside to begin the design of protection at King's Court. All are subdivisions between Minot and Burlington.
"We think that within a few years, the systems within Ward County are going to be in pretty good shape," Ackerman said.
All the projects mentioned have available funding, with the exception of the Maple Diversion, he said. The diversion is receiving 65% of funds from the federal government, and more state funding will be requested during the next legislative session.