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City schedules floodwall closure testing

Minot city crews will conduct testing on one of the floodwall closure structures on 16th

Street Southwest on Wednesday, Oct. 9, according to the City of Minot. During the work, a portion of 16th St SW will be closed to vehicle traffic. The road is anticipated to be reopened to traffic that day by 4 p.m.

Installing the stop logs that fill in the openings across 16th Street will give crews the opportunity to ensure all of the pieces fit together properly and seal correctly after the concrete sill was replaced earlier this summer, the news release from the city stated.

“We’re required to test at least one floodwall closure every year,” said Bryan Banfill,

Public Works Operations director for the City of Minot, in the release. “With the concrete on 16th Street Southwest being replaced at this location, it makes sense for us to test this opening now to ensure that this key element of our overall flood protection system functions correctly. This is also a great opportunity for some of our newer crew members to participate in this training exercise so we’re prepared for any potential future emergency.”

Road closures in the area around 16th Street will begin at 9 a.m. on Oct. 9. The work, which involves only the floodwall closest to the Minot Water Treatment Plant, is expected to take about six hours to complete. Road closed signs will be in place to inform the public of the closure.

The process of installing the 12 vertical pillars and more than 240 horizontal stop logs involves crews from multiple City of Minot departments, including the Street Department, Engineering and Traffic Department, Storm Sewer Department and Public Works.

“We’ve coordinated with many of our own departments and outside consultants to schedule this important testing and training exercise,” Banfill said. “We recognize this road closure will impact traffic, but this work is necessary to ensure the viability of the equipment involved, the function of our flood protection system, and the readiness of our crews. We appreciate the patience and understanding from the public.”

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