08.07.25

Hoeven: Red River Control Structure Now Online, Heart of $3.2 Billion, Multi-State Flood Protection Project

Senator Marks Major Feat as Red River is Re-Routed; Historic Project to Protect More Than a Quarter of a Million People

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today marked a major milestone for flood protection in the Fargo-Moorhead region as the Red River was permanently re-routed, bringing the Red River Control Structure online.

  • The control structure is the central feature of the $3.2 billion, multi-state flood protection project.
    • Hoeven stressed that this is a historic project, as it’s the first major Army Corps project to utilize a public-private partnership (P3), allowing the Corps and private sector portions of the project to be constructed concurrently, saving time and money.
  • It was constructed utilizing the $750 million federal funding share that Hoeven secured, of which $115 million was specifically allocated to the control structure.
  • It is the largest of the three gated structures making up the southern embankment, a 22-mile earthen embankment that helps regulate water flows through and around the Fargo-Moorhead metro region.
    • The Red River Control Structure includes three 50-foot wide by 52-foot-tall steel gates, each weighing nearly 300,000 pounds.
  • Diverting the river serves as a key step toward making the project fully operable by spring 2027, ultimately providing permanent flood protection for 260,000 people and 70 square miles of infrastructure.

“For more than 15 years, we’ve worked to advance permanent flood protection for the entire Fargo-Moorhead region. This has been a tremendous undertaking, requiring us to bring in partners from across all levels of government and from the private sector, but now, we are seeing tremendous results as the very heart of the project, the Red River Control Structure, is brought online,” said Hoeven. “Re-routing the Red River is a remarkable feat and a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together. Moreover, we are making history, as this is the first major Corps project to use the P3 model. Being the first to break this new ground wasn’t easy, but as a result, the federal portion of this project is on time and under budget – that’s a rare achievement and will provide the flood protection this region needs sooner.”

Today’s milestone follows Hoeven’s efforts to:

  • Pass 16 acts of Congress, including:
    • 9 legislative provisions, such as the project authorization in 2014 and a new construction start authorization in 2016.
    • 7 separate appropriations to fund the project’s construction.
  • Fully fund the $750 million federal cost share.
    • Prior to this, Hoeven helped renegotiate the Project Partnership Agreement to increase the federal funding commitment from $450 million.
  • Advance this as the first major Army Corps project to utilize the P3 split-delivery model and a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan.
  • Coordinate efforts across four federal agencies.
  • Provide funding and flexibility to concurrently raise I-29 and begin excavating the Red River Control Structure to keep the project on schedule.
  • Resolve the easement issue on lands purchased with Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding, allowing the project to use an alternative route.

 

 

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