PHOENIX – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division and Los Angeles District leaders visited project sites April 5-7 in northern Arizona, including two that are being fully funded through completion.
The Los Angeles District’s Rio de Flag Flood-Risk Management and Little Colorado River at Winslow Flood Control projects are being fully funded through design and construction. Additionally, the Winslow project received more than $65 million in federal funding through the bipartisan Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, or IIJA, which was announced in January.
“We are actually visiting these sites to be able to look at projects, which fall into the category of let's get it done,” said Col. Antoinette Gant, South Pacific Division commander. “Now we have either received funding just recently or we've had funding and needed issues to be resolved, so that we could actually move forward.”
While in Flagstaff, the team met with local partners to discuss the Rio de Flag Flood-Risk Management project.
The area is subject to flooding from the Rio de Flag and Clay Avenue Wash tributaries. The plan for the project consists of channel modifications, bridge enhancements, and detention basin and floodwall construction.
The LA District has been allocated $79 million in federal funds for the Rio de Flag project and plans to award the first construction contract for the Lower Rio de Flag and Clay Avenue Wash reaches in 2023.
“The funding to complete both projects – Rio de Flag and Little Colorado Winslow – is essential to their successful execution,” said David Van Dorpe, LA District deputy district engineer. “By ensuring we have all the funds for construction upfront, we can award a single contract, which in the end, will save the projects a lot of money.”
While in Winslow, SPD and LA District leaders met with local partners to discuss plans for the flood-control project there.
About 5,000 people in Winslow – families who live, work and call the area their home – along with critical infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, nursing homes and utilities, are located within a 100-year flood plain and are at the potential risk of flooding.
“It really hits flood control for the city that's really needed … they are so deserving of having the right flood control protection, so their houses don't continue to flood,” said Col. Julie Balten, LA District commander.
The project area includes about 4.3 miles of flood-risk reduction levee and improvements, located along the Little Colorado River near Winslow.
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE
In addition to visiting the projects at Flagstaff and Winslow, Balten and Gant, along with other District and Division leaders, visited military construction projects at Luke Air Force Base.
At Luke AFB, LA District leaders and partners discussed the Corps’ projects, which have primarily been in support of the base’s F-35 Aircraft Beddown mission, as well future projects to support design and construction of base facilities.
Some of the projects include the design and construction of a Child Development Center, an addition and alteration of an egress facility in support of the F-35 Aircraft Beddown mission, a potable water well, and F-35 Squad Operations and Aircraft Maintenance Unit facilities to support the 6th F-35 Squadron.
“This gives us a good opportunity to be able to see what has been done or what needs to be done,” Gant said. “We are going to continue to make sure that these projects go to completion.”
For more information on Los Angeles District’s programs and projects, visit www.spl.usace.army.mil.