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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

 

Kansas City Terminal Closure
The KC Levees team, including Lane Construction (contractor), successfully installed two (2) precast concrete sills across a pair of high traffic Kansas City Terminal (KCT) tracks at each end of the double-decked KCT Highline Bridge on 27 JAN. The concrete sills will serve as the foundation for two (2) stoplog closure structures. Work included a full track outage under an active upper bridge deck (trains passing over the construction site) and simultaneous excavation, installation, and concrete backfill of two separate sites. Both structures were scheduled to be complete in 15 hours, but work was done in only 12 hours. Trains were back in service the following day.
KC Levees Pump Station Turnover
On October 12, 2023, the KC Levees team, along with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, the City of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kaw Valley Drainage District, celebrated a significant project milestone with the turnover of multiple pump stations. The event was held at the Strong Avenue pump station in Kansas City, Kansas. Prior to the KC Levees project, several pump stations were deemed inadequate and posed a significant risk to the community. In total, 11 pump stations were improved and two pump stations were completely replaced. This included new pumps and motors in 8 of the 13 pump stations. The project also significantly lessens flood risks to the 30,000 people and $10 billion of infrastructure located behind the levee units.
Argentine Pump Station Turnover
Our team achieved a major milestone on September 19, 2023, by completing construction and accepting 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 $35 million project also included structural modifications to the Turner Avenue Pump Station. Argentine Main and Turner Avenue Pump Stations are operated by the Kaw Valley Drainage District and Strong Avenue Pump Station is operated by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
KC Levees Improvements
Lane Construction is making significant progress raising levees and floodwalls along all three levee units. Fill placement along Argentine is continuing well with numerous sections of the levee planned to be raised to final grade by the end of the year. Installation of H-piles has begun, and relief wells are scheduled to begin in the near future along Argentine. Numerous sections of floodwall are complete or nearing completion along Armourdale. Similarly, improvements along CID are progressing well with sections of levees and floodwalls nearing completion. 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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Argentine Pump Station Replacement
Construction is substantially complete on the new Argentine Main Pump Station (operated by Kaw Valley Drainage District) and Strong Avenue Pump Station (operated by the Unified Government) located along the Argentine Levee Unit. Both pump stations are fully operational and include new pumps and motors with increased pumping capacities. Completing the replacements has significantly reduced the flood risk to the Argentine community and is a major milestone for the project. Michels Construction is finishing final punch list items and is expected to be complete in August.
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KC Levees Update
The levee raise team continues with substantial progress on earthwork across the Argentine Levee Unit. Over three miles of levee are under construction. Portions of the levee are at final grade and the contractor continues to place material as scheduled. The team recently completed a portion of floodwall (shown in photo) that connects the levee to the recently completed Argentine Main Pump Station.
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KC Levees Update
Levee and floodwall improvements along the Armourdale Levee Unit continue as scheduled. Crews have recently completed setting rebar for several buttress walls along a section of existing floodwall (shown in photo) located across the Kansas River from the HyVee Arena. South of Osage Avenue, earthwork is being placed to increase the height of the existing levee. Near 12th Street Bridge, new floodwall is being placed rapidly and continues to progress upstream.
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KC Levees Update
All levee work is nearly complete between Ohio Avenue and I-670 along the Central Industrial District Levee Unit (CID). Final grading is complete and the contractor is placing topsoil and grass seed (shown in photo). Added to the completed work south of I-670, over a mile of levee raise improvements are complete on CID. The contractor will soon be transitioning to construction of a new floodwall south of the Rock Island Bridge.
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LATEST VIDEOS

 

INTERACTIVE MAPS

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A visualization of the stoplog closure structure showing water surface and time required for installation can be found here.

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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OUR PARTNERS

Kaw Valley Drainage District