The Metro Flood Diversion Authority board was told June 26 that the planned reroute of the Red River is scheduled for July 23, with construction activities on the reroute beginning early that morning and a public ceremony expected before noon.

The reroute and related work are central to preparing the diversion to operate: Carrie, project staff for the diversion authority, said, “The reroute of the Red River has been scheduled for 23 July. That's a solid date. I'll be sending you all a save the date, probably tomorrow.” She added construction leading into the reroute will start “probably at 8AM,” with speaking and a ceremony before noon.

Board members also heard that turnover of the diversion inlet structure and the wild rice structure has shifted to an October timeframe to allow time for installation of updated lighting equipment. Tom Fooks, senior construction manager, reported that the Red River structure is now more than 80% complete, with all three gates in position and work focused on gate-lifting cables, machinery, flood walls and piers.

Construction program staff said channel excavation has reached roughly 36,000,000 cubic yards to date toward an overall program target of about 45,000,000 cubic yards, and that the diversion program is shifting focus from bulk excavation toward finishing channel segments around aqueducts and crossings. Multiple bridges are also advancing: County Road 20 is expected to reopen soon on the diversion bridge and crews set girders for railroad crossings and for I-94; crews likely will pour a BNSF bridge deck in the next one to two weeks.

Project safety data presented for the month showed mostly minor incidents and near misses recorded for training and prevention, with no major safety events reported. The construction partners producing the monthly drone and progress videos — including ASN Constructors on several structures — continue to post updates the authority is sharing with the public.

The authority’s newsletter, Diversion Current, was cited as a place for regular construction updates and event notices.