Construction on the Fargo-Moorhead (FM) Area Diversion stormwater channel has reached 76 percent completion, with crews excavating 34.5 million of the planned 45 million cubic yards to date. The 30-mile-long channel forms a central part of a regional flood protection system designed to safeguard over 235,000 residents in the Fargo-Moorhead metro area from severe flooding events driven by extreme weather and climate conditions.

ASN Constructors, the lead entity for the public-private partnership (P3) segment of the project, continues 24/7 work on the diversion channel. The firm also made progress on key crossings this month, placing girders for the County Road 81 bridge deck, completing substructure work on the BNSF Hillsboro rail crossing, and pouring 600 cubic yards of concrete for the northbound I-29 bridge.

Work on associated infrastructure also advanced. At the Diversion Inlet Structure, now 99 percent complete, contractors installed and began commissioning mechanical gate equipment. At the Maple River Aqueduct, ASN neared completion of concrete flume and conduit work and began backfilling and bridge construction. Crews also installed nearly one acre of sheet piling.

In Raymond Township, crews backfilled concrete pipes and began constructing headwalls at the Section 27 Drain Inlet. At the Red River Structure, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor Ames Construction placed concrete for the mechanical platform, constructed floodwall segments, and continued piling work on the east side of the apron.

The FM Area Diversion project represents a combined investment from federal, state, and local sources. Federal appropriations total $750 million, including $437 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. North Dakota has contributed $850 million, and Minnesota has provided $86 million. Local governments are contributing $1.514 billion through voter-approved sales taxes, backed by loans and bonds, including a $569 million WIFIA loan and $280 million in Private Activity Bonds.

The Metro Flood Diversion Authority (MFDA), a North Dakota political subdivision, oversees the full implementation of the comprehensive project in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Red River Valley Alliance is delivering the P3 portion under a DBFOM model, with operations and maintenance funded through dedicated tax and fee revenues.

The full system remains on track for completion and commissioning by 2027.