Work Begins On Highway 2 to Repair Flood Damage

Work is underway to repair flood damage on Highway 2 and reconnect Nebraska City to Interstate 29.

Our media partner, 10-11 news reports that Reilly Construction of Ossian, Iowa, is working seven days a week, 14 hours a day. They were awarded a $905,000 contract for emergency repairs which began last week.

Even with the stepped up schedule, however, it’s expected to take until mid-august. The highway was closed after the march flooding, and again in late may, because of flooding. The worst damage to the highway is closest to the Missouri River bridge, but five spots have severe damage.

Work is also underway on levee repairs.

FLOOD LEVELS TO REMAIN HIGH

The flood level of the Missouri River isn’t going to go down for a while.

It’s been running high from Sioux City to St. Louis because of extra releases from Gavins Point Dam near Yankton. Now, the Corps of Engineers has opened two of the four flood gates at Fort Peck Dam in Montana.

75-thousand cubic feet per second have been flowing out of Gavins Point already. Water from Fort Peck Dam will add 15-thousand to that. Fort Peck has been holding back water, because of the flooding in this area, but officials said the water was within two-and-a-half feet of the top of the gates, so they had no choice.