KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After completing the design phase three years earlier than planned, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Kansas City District, has awarded the fourth and final construction contract to improve the Kansas City Levees System to the Lane Construction Company of Cheshire, Connecticut. The $257.7M construction contract, including $38.8M of future options, will complete 17 miles of levee and floodwall improvements to the Argentine, Armourdale, and Central Industrial District Levee Units along the Kansas River in Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri. The project requires over one million cubic yards of earthwork, nearly 25,000 feet of new concrete floodwall, 120 new relief wells, replacement of 12 high-traffic railroad closure structures, improvements to nearly 40 drainage structure, and modifications to over 175 existing utilities. Construction is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2021 and be complete in the spring of 2026.The overall $529M federal investment will improve the reliability and resiliency of the existing Kansas Citys Levees system, improve deteriorated and aging infrastructure, and reduce the risk of overtopping by 200%. More than 25,000 residents and employees, $10B of infrastructure, and nationally significant warehousing, transportation, and railroad distribution centers located within the leveed areas will directly benefit from the safety improvements.
Completing the design phase three years early means the project will move dirt faster. The Kansas City District has achieved this by partnering with numerous Architect/Engineering (AE) firms, including HNTB Corporation from Kansas City, Missouri, Midland Surveying from Maryville, Missouri, and Terracon from Lenexa, Kansas. The team of over 200 engineers, geologists, drillers, specialists, surveyors, construction managers, and project managers from around the nation embraced a common vision to deliver this complex project through innovative approaches and risk-informed decision making that accelerated project delivery schedules.
USACE, Kansas City District is responsible for the design, construction and delivery of the KC Levees Program through a bi-state partnership with Kaw Valley Drainage District, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS, and the City of Kansas City, Missouri.
Detailed project information can be found on the Kansas Citys Levees Program webpage available at www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Mega-Projects/Kansas-Citys-Levees/
