The next phase of the Manhattan levee project will get underway in a few months.
Project manager and city stormwater compliance engineer Bill Heatherman on Tuesday told city commissioners Phase 1 is “95% complete” and that the next step will involve creating a 50-foot gap in the levee where the Union Pacific Railroad structure goes through it.
The 50-foot gap — which will be able to close during flood events — came about after extensive negotiations with officials from the railroad company, who originally demanded a 100-foot gap.
The city is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the levee project but is responsible for acquiring easements and rights-of-way as well as coordinating with utility providers. This also will require working with property owners affected by the 16th Street railroad crossing closure that Phase 2 requires.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials expect to complete their Phase 2 design in December but list February 2026 as the projected date to wrap up real estate acquisition and June 2026 as the expected start time for construction.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has submitted a post-authorization change report to Congress to increase the total project cost to $46.2 million, up from the original $30 million estimate. The federal government is responsible for 65% of the cost, while the city will cover 35% or $16.2 million. The total project cost increased largely as a result of inflation and changes to the Phase 2 design.
Heatherman said completion of Phase 1 is set for late September and that “a lot of good work has gone into that.” Phase 1 raised 20,000 feet of levee between 1 and 2 feet along the Big Blue River from the intersection of Casement Road and Hayes Drive, stretching south of the confluence of the Kansas and Big Blue rivers and wrapping around upstream just west of the wastewater treatment plant. The work also included seven new modified gate wall structures and 10 utility relocations.
The commission took no action on the matter Tuesday, as the meeting served as a discussion between city officials and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials as they move toward formal agreements and amendments.
