Corps Districts Outline Planned Missouri River Improvements
The Corps of Engineers districts managing the Missouri River are gearing up to solicit and award bank stabilization contracts along the length of the river, bolstered by a shot of cash from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
The Kansas City and Omaha districts hosted a Missouri River virtual call March 15 for interested parties and contractors that might want to bid on some of this upcoming business.
Kansas City District
Dane Morris, program manager of navigation and repairs for the Kansas City District, presented slides giving the scope of work and expected timelines.
Most of the work will be in support of the Bank Stabilization Navigation Project (BSNP), which is replacing damage from the 2019 floods, and even from the 2011 flood in some places. The BSNP covers the length of the Missouri River and is administered by both the Kansas City and Omaha engineer districts. To date, the Kansas City District has awarded 10 contracts since 2019, investing about $79 million in repairs of damaged banks, scour holes and river control structures.
About six of those contracts are still active, Morris said. He expects there will be four more contracts let to work on two chutes.
In addition, the IIJA provided about $249 million for river structure repairs. Morris estimated about 3 to 4 million tons of rock would be placed on BSNP structures, and somewhere between 600,000 and 700,00 tons on side-channel chutes. Much of the work will be done from floating plants; some will allow land-based access. The work should be completed by December 2025. Interested parties should submit responses by March 25, presenters said.
Omaha District
Project manager Randy Sellers laid out the scope of repairs and construction in the Omaha Engineer District, covering about 250 river miles from Ponca to Rulo, Neb. The district spends about $2 million annually on four active maintenance contracts, placing about 500,000 tons of rock, not including supplemental money, on control structures and revetments. Some of this work is repairing damage from the 2011 floods.
The IIJA is providing an additional $47 million in funding, most of which will be used on the BSNP to deposit about 80,000 tons of rock. The work will involve repairing dikes and revetments, with occasional new construction. The work will take place in at least 4 feet of water depth and will require two passes. A web map will be posted to show which structures have been or are to be repaired.
The Corps presenters asked interested parties to explore further details on the SAM.gov site.
