Kansas City Flood Control Project Nears Completion

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has made progress on a $156 million storm water management project in Kansas City, Mo. Now in the final phase of construction, the Turkey Creek flood prevention project has minimized flooding for Kansas City residents and businesses along the Southwest Boulevard. The project involved widening the channels that flow into the Turkey Creek tunnel and incorporating pipelines that divert storm water from the boulevard and towards the Kansas River, according to The Kansas City Star.

The near 100-year-old tunnel has long been need of repairs. A 1998 flooding along Turkey Creek which led to 11 deaths and more than $50 million in damages highlighted the need for a long-term flood control solution.

“There’s always theoretically a very large flood that can exceed the capacity of any flood project,” said John Grothaus, chief of planning for USACE. “But it will be a long time, I think, before they get a severe flood on the boulevard like they used to get in the past.”

The flood control project has been in the works for years, but faced delays from lack of funding. In June 2017, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver and Kansas City officials announced federal funding of $38 million to supplement city funds acquired through $150 million in flood control funds approved by voters. The final phase of construction began early 2018 and is schedule to take approximately three years to complete, according to a press release by the city of Kansas City.