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  KANSAS CITYS LEVEES PROJECT

The Kansas Citys, Missouri and Kansas Levee project consists of seven levee units including 60 miles of levees and floodwalls along both banks of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. The system protects 32 square miles of industrial, commercial and residential areas, and includes 100,000 jobs, 7,000 structures and $22B in investments. The area is vital to the national economy as a manufacturing, distribution, transportation and warehousing hub. Life safety is paramount to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  The purpose of this project is to ensure these levee systems perform during the next flood event.  We also recognize the vitality of this area to local and national economies as a major manufacturing, distribution, transportation and warehousing hub. 

The remaining Kansas City Levees project includes improvements to ~17 miles  of existing levees and floodwalls along the Kansas River in Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo.  This collaborative effort between USACE, the Kaw Valley Drainage District, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, and the City of Kansas City, Missouri will reduce the risk of flooding, improve the reliability and resiliency of the systems, strengthen aging infrastructure and ensure the levees and floodwalls perform during future flood events.  The improvements will consist of levee and floodwall raises, replacements and repairs to existing pump stations, improvements to aging infrastructure and seepage and stability improvements.  Our goal is to complete the $529M project by 2026.  This final phase will complete nearly 15 years of construction on the system.  Improvements are complete for the Fairfax/Jersey Creek, North Kansas City and East Bottoms Units along the Missouri River.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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WHAT'S HAPPENING

 

West Santa Fe Junction Railroad Closure Structure Construction
The KC Levees team, including Lane Construction (contractor), is in the process of installing the foundations for the stoplog closures at Santa Fe Junction. This installation process is being completed using jump spans in order to allow for train traffic to move directly above the construction area. In the picture shown above, the drilled caissons and steel H-Piles have been installed and the rebar for the closure structure footing is being placed.
East Santa Fe Junction Railroad Stoplog Structure
The USACE Kansas City District, in conjunction with Lane Construction and BNSF Railway, conducted a stoplog closure test at the Kansas Citys Levees Project. The Santa Fe Junction Railroad Stoplog Structure is one of the largest stoplog closures in the nation at over 20 feet high and crosses four tracks at a major railway junction (shown in photo). The closure structure is designed to protect the Central Industrial District in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri in the event of a flood. During a flood event, the stoplogs would be deployed to prevent water flow across the railroad opening in the levee unit. The stoplogs are stacked on top of each other creating a barrier to prevent water from passing through. The term “stoplog” originates from the historical use of wooden logs used in the same way. The project designer, HNTB, has created a visualization for the deployment of stoplogs during a flood event.
Click here to view visualization of stoplog installation showing water surface and time required
Sante Fe Junction Stoplog Closure Structure Fact Sheet
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is constructing a stoplog closure structure at the Santa Fe Partners: Junction of the BNSF Railway located just east of the Kansas River, west of State Line Road and near 25th Street in Kansas City, Kansas. The closure will replace an existing structure currently located southwest of the site and is part of the KC Levees Project to improve 17 miles of levees in the Greater Kansas City Region. At over 20 feet high, the structure is one of the largest stoplog closures in the nation, crossing four tracks at one of the busiest railway junctions. The closure is designed to protect the Central Industrial District (CID) in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri during a flood event. The protected area is home to 7,494 residents and includes 526 buildings valued at $3.36 billion. Construction of the levee system began in 2021 and will be complete by the end of 2025.
Kansas City Terminal (KCT) Bridge Central Industrial District (CID) Railroad Stoplog Structure
In partnership with Lane Construction, BNSF, and KCT Railway, a stoplog closure was recently tested at the KCT Highline bridge as part of the ongoing Kansas Citys Levees mega project (shown in photo). Testing each of the 12 closure structures on the project need to occur before the structure can be “turned over” to the Kaw Valley Drainage District for their use. Since levees are “barriers” to prevent water from flooding an area, the levees can also be a “barrier” to at grade transportation crossings such as roads, or in this case railroad tracks. Levees are generally built to work with keeping this existing infrastructure in place and stoplog closures act as temporary barriers sealing these levee gaps or crossings ahead of flood events.
KC Levees Improvements
Lane Construction is making significant progress raising levees and floodwalls along all three levee units. All levee work including earthwork and floodwall is substantially complete for the Argentine levee unit. Relief wells have been completed are scheduled to begin in the near future along Argentine. Levee and floodwall improvements along the Armourdale Levee Unit have made significant progress and relief well installation has begun. All levee work for CID including earthwork and floodwall is substantially complete between I-70 and the Rock Island Bridge (across from the Hy-Vee Arena). Construction remains on schedule to be completed in 2026. The team greatly appreciates the coordination, communication, and support from the community while construction is ongoing!
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KC Levees-Argentine
All levee work including earthwork and floodwall is substantially complete for the Argentine levee unit. Aggregate surfacing for maintenance access has been placed along the majority of the on top of the Argentine levee crest (top). Backfill along the floodwall and large rock (riprap) is being placed at 18th Street bridge. Two railroad closures are scheduled to start construction and be completed in 2025 on the upstream and downstream ends of the BNSF rail yard. The levee raise team has completed the floodwalls connecting to the Argentine Main Pump Station (bottom).
KC Levees Updates-Armourdale
Levee and floodwall improvements along the Armourdale Levee Unit have made significant progress. The buttress wall located across the Kansas River from the HyVee Arena has been completed (shown in photo). Short segments of the levee raise and floodwall remain to be constructed south of the Kansas Ave. bridge to south of James St. bridge (downstream portion of the unit). Relief wells are being installed behind businesses such as U-Haul and PBI Gordon. Two sets of railroad closure structures will be installed with a future construction contract at the Union Pacific #3 Railroad and MOPAC bridges on the ARM side of the Kansas River.
KC Levees Update-CID
All levee work including earthwork and floodwall is substantially complete between I-70 and the Rock Island Bridge (shown in photos). Two sections of floodwall remain open between the Rock Island Bridge and the KCT double decker railroad bridge as the contractor backfills soil material to final grade up against the new floodwall. Remaining work includes completion of one railroad stoplog structure out of two that have been constructed at the Santa Fe Junction. Two sets of railroad closure structures will be installed with a future construction contract at the Union Pacific #3 Railroad and MOPAC bridges on the CID side of the Kansas River.
Argentine Pump Station Turnover
The KC Levees team has completed and accepted the new Argentine Main and Strong Avenue Pump Stations located along the Argentine Levee Unit. The new facilities meet USACE criteria, designed to accommodate the ongoing levee improvements and include significantly increased pumping capacities compared to the previous pump stations. The pump stations have been turned over to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Kaw Valley Drainage District as of October 12, 2023. Prior to the KC Levees project, several pump stations were deemed inadequate and posed a significant risk to the community. The $35 million project will also include structural modifications to the Turner Avenue Pump Station. The project also significantly lessens flood risks to the 30,000 people and $10 billion of infrastructure located behind the levee units.

 

 

LATEST VIDEOS

 

INTERACTIVE MAPS

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A visualization showing the grading and infrastructure planned for the KCK Riverfront at the Rock Island Bridge, including user control of the floodwall integration can be found here (browser and VR capable).

 

CONTRACT INFO

View Awarded Contracts for the Kansas City Levees Project

 

PROJECT UPDATES & MILESTONES

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Kaw Valley Drainage District