Repairing Cape's floodwall

Cape Girardeau public works director Tim Gramling showed a section of the Mississippi River floodwall that is displaced by about three inches. The section is at Independence Street. (Fred Lynch) [Click to enlarge]

One of the concrete monoliths in the Cape Girardeau floodwall will be replaced as part of a $9 million rehabilitation project that could begin around the first of the year. The city plans to use the opportunity to create a new pedestrian opening in the wall at that point near the intersection of Water and Independence streets.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' plan to improve the floodwall that has protected Cape Girardeau for more than 40 years includes repairing some of the series of monoliths that compose the floodwall, stabilizing retaining walls, repairing foundations, upgrading the mechanical and electrical systems at the pump stations, raising the stations higher than ground level and repairing culverts. The work is about to be done as the floodwall is reaching the end of its design life. "That's one of the things that propelled the project," said Cape Girardeau city manager Doug Leslie.

An inspection report compiled by the Corps of Engineers in 2002 identified major deficiencies in the floodwall, including movement of the monolith to be replaced. Public works director Tim Gramling said the movement that causes concern is measured in inches, if not smaller increments.

Most of the monolith repairs will be minor and are designed to allow them to expand further, he said. "This will ensure the city is going to be protected for many years to come," he said.

Railroad disruption

But while the work is being done, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway will face a disruption in its operations. The railway is considering whether to suspend trains or build a shoofly, a temporary detour around the construction. A spokesman for the railway was unable to provide immediate details about the shoofly option.

The federal government will fund the entire project with the exception of the new entryway, which Cape Girardeau will pay for. A cost for that gate hasn't yet been determined. The gate probably will be about 6 feet wide. "The idea is to open up Riverfront Park," Leslie said.

The wall now has floodgates at the foot of Broadway and the foot of Themis Street.

In conjunction with the project, the city of Cape Girardeau is considering assuming permanent control of the two levee districts created to help pay for the original floodwall project. That would occur after the work is complete.

The primary interests protected by the North Main Street Levee District have changed considerably since the floodwall plan was announced in 1955. AmerenUE inherited its interest from a predecessor, Missouri Utilities, which had a substation in the district. Because that station no longer exists, Ameren pays no assessment.

Andy Juden Jr., who has been president of the Main Street Levee District since 1962, says his district no longer takes in enough money from its levy of property owners to fight a major flood. He plans to retire if the city is willing to take over the district.

"One of the issues is that we will have to have a sponsor of the project that will carry on," Leslie said. But, he added, "it's still an unanswered question."

Operating the levee districts would cost the city about $120,000 a year in maintenance and repair costs, electricity and overtime.

Nearly $2 million already has been allocated for the floodwall project during the planning phase. Actual construction could begin as early as the first of next year if Congress allocates the money, Gramling said.

After the levee failures caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency imposed higher standards for certifying the nation's levees. Because the Cape Girardeau project has been in the planning stage for three years, the system has a head start toward achieving FEMA certification. "We would not be able to be certified without these improvements," Gramling said.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137