Capital View Levee rehab could take months
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
EDITOR'S NOTE: The estimated completion date of levee repairs has been corrected.
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official says the Capital View Levee rebuilding process should be completed by the end of summer.
Contractors currently have the ability to place bids on the contract which the Corps published on Feb. 3. All offers are due by March 12, after that date, the Corps will choose a contractor and provide a notice to proceed.
Click here to see the available contract advertisement.
"Once the notice to proceed is issued the typical time frame is about 120 days sometimes it goes longer up to 190 days depending on the magnitude of the damages and how much work they have to do out there," said Mike Dulin, an emergency management specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District.
Seven points of the Capital View Levee sustained major damage during the 2019 flood events.
Dulin said there are many factors that go into the completion agenda.
"If we're talking about that 120-day time frame, you factor in weather delays and things like that you could be looking at late next summer possibly for a complete prepare," Dulin said.
Dulin says the Levee district has done some work filling in scour holes and things in the field and have been good about getting the Corps the information they need to proceed. Now, they're waiting to see who the contract is awarded to.
"Right now we're going through the contracting process, it's been on the streets for 3 weeks," Dulin said. "There has been a lot of interest from contractors and it wouldn't surprise me to see five to ten bidders."
The timeline could bring about some issues being that Missouri is in the middle of the flood season. Right now the Missouri River is sitting at 12 feet which is well below the flood stage but the river could see a significant rise soon. Overall, Dulin said safety is the most important factor.
"Anywhere we got a breached levee with a large population that lives and works behind it, that's going to be a priority area we want to focus on," Dulin said. "The second thing is areas where we might be able to provide some benefit as far as protecting infrastructure."
