Fargo, ND – i29 Grade Raise Project

Challenge

The FM Area Diversion Project includes an Upstream Mitigation Area that will temporarily stage flood waters from the Red and Wild Rice Rivers. I-29, County Road 18 and an extension of the Oxbow-Hickson-Bakke (OHB) Levee will need to be raised to maintain access during flood conditions along this I-29 corridor south of Fargo-Moorhead and to the City of Oxbow. I-29 is one of North Dakota’s two major interstate systems. A portion of I-29 will need to be raised approximately six feet. Due to the I-29 grade raise, the County Road 18 overpass and interchange needs to be reconstructed. In addition, two new I-29 bridges need to be constructed to cross the dam embankment and borrow ditch as part of the FM Diversion. A temporary four-lane interstate bypass will be constructed to allow for the I-29 mainline grade raise and bridge construction to minimize disruption to I-29 traffic.

Solution / Outcome

Moore Engineering was part of the team that provided design services for the Interstate 29 grade raise and borrow ditch crossing, County Road 18 grade raise and extension of the Oxbow-Hickson-Bakke (OHB) Levee as a part of the FM Area Diversion Project.

Moore Engineering provided project management, design for the three mile temporary bypass for interstate traffic to accommodate the three year construction project of the mainline grade raise, OHB levee and pond layout, median crossovers and temporary interchange ramp connections, erosion control, signing and striping. Moore Engineering also developed the detailed construction phasing and work zone traffi c control. The construction phasing included nine major phases with many of the phases having multiple sub phases. Additional services provided were the hydraulic analysis and sizing of permanent and temporary centerline culverts, utility coordination, and boundary and topographic survey.

The design was coordinated with the Metro Flood Diversion Authority, US Army Corps of Engineers, NDDOT, FWHA and local entities in order to implement the flood risk reduction measures