Phase MI-5 Northeast Tieback Levee Nears 100% Design, Construction Scheduled to Start This Fall
The Phase MI-5 Northeast Tieback Levee is close to a 100% completed design. The next steps in this phase will be to schedule neighborhood meetings and outreach before construction starts. Property owner meetings have already begun to take place and will continue with the project.
Construction on the pump station included in this project is scheduled to kick off this fall. Care will be taken in the design of this structure to match and enhance neighborhood aesthetics.
The Phase MI-5 Northeast Tieback Levee is a key north-side of the Mouse River phase of the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project. When completed and connected to the first four phases, it will help remove approximately 60 percent of Minot residents from the proposed FEMA floodplain and provide long-term flood protection.
Project History:
In April 2018, the Minot City Council approved a preliminary alignment for Phase MI-5 which minimized the impact to private property however would cross BNSF rail lines with temporary closures during a flood event. After coordinating with BNSF, the preliminary alignment was modified to address BNSF requirements. In areas where the closure structures were proposed, BNSF would instead require the rail line be raised, which included reconstructing existing rail bridges, raising the Third Street bridge and raising approximately 18,000 feet of track, as well as reconstructing new rail bridges over the Mouse River for the BNSF mainlines. These requirements escalated the estimated project costs to roughly $129 million. These changes resulted in a project that was not economically feasible.
In mid- to late-2019, the Souris River Joint Board directed the design team to redesign the project and bring back a new concept that would reduce the impact to the railroad and reduce the cost of the alignment. A current technically proposed alignment now proposes putting more flood protection features north of the BNSF rail line, on top of a portion of the existing Railway Avenue footprint. This alignment, as it is proposed now, may require the acquisition of approximately 15 homes and 7 businesses. The total project cost estimate of this alignment is $75 million.
A Public Input Meeting was held on February 10 to discuss the redesigned Phase MI-5 Northeast Tieback Levee. The formal presentation is available below the map. If you have any questions about the meeting or the current design of the project, please contact Odney at 701-857-7205, and ask for Brekka or Beth.
