Omaha District Awards Contracts Worth $10.3 Million To Repair Nebraska Levees
The Omaha (Neb.) Engineer District recently awarded contracts worth $10.3 million to repair severe damage to levees from this spring’s flooding, including levees that protect Offutt Air Force Base.
The R-616-613 and R-613 levee systems, damaged by the 2019 spring flooding, are approximately 19 miles long. The R-616-613 system starts on the Missouri River at Highway 370 and follows the river to the mouth of the Papillion Creek, then turning and going up the north bank of Papillion Creek to Capehart Road.
The R-613 levee system starts slightly downstream on the Papillion Creek, following the south bank to the confluence with the Missouri River, then follows the Missouri River to the mouth of the Platte River and then goes up the north bank of the Platte River to Highway 75.
“The contract mechanism for this project is the Omaha District’s Rapid-Disaster-Infrastructure (RDI 1) Small Business MATOC (Multiple Award Task Order Contract),” said Bret Budd, chief of the Omaha District Systems Restoration Team. “This cost-reimbursable contract tool is used for urgent infrastructure repair projects.”
The contract was awarded to the joint venture team of IE-Weston Federal Service JVB LLC of Pasco, Wash. The period of performance for the contact is 90 calendar days, with a focus on getting the repair work finished so that the Papillion-Missouri River NRD can complete their previously approved Section 408 construction contract to raise the levee systems.
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has worked closely with the Papio-Missouri River NRD to coordinate the scope of work and timing of our construction contract with the work Papio MRNRD will perform with its follow-on contractor that will raise the levees,” said Budd.
There are more than 500 miles of levees on the Missouri, Platte and Elkhorn rivers, and tributaries that have experienced significant flood damage since March. Due to the magnitude of damage along these levees, the repair of the levee systems will take an extended period of time.
Elkhorn River
The Omaha District was also awarded a separate $183,000 construction contract to repair the damages to the Pierce–North Branch Elkhorn River Right Bank levee system.
The Pierce levee system is approximately 2.5 miles long, running along the northern and western boundary of the city of Pierce, Neb. This system provides an increased level of flood risk management for over 550 structures and approximately 1,100 people.
“This is the first of the full rehabilitation projects to begin addressing damages to the smaller tributary systems throughout the Omaha District area of responsibility that were damaged during the 2019 spring flooding,” said Jeff Bohlken, program manager for the Omaha District Systems Restoration Team. “However, we are anticipating that we will have 5 to 10 more of the tributary projects ready for award within the next two months to continue these repair efforts.”
The contract was awarded to Niewohner Construction of Onawa, Iowa, and the period of performance for the contact is 60 calendar days. The repairs will restore the levee system to its pre-flood condition.
For regular updates on the repair efforts to flood control structures in the Missouri River Basin, visit the Omaha District’s System Restoration web page at: https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Omaha-District-System-Restoration-Team/
