Story posted Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Work Begins On Levee 37
By RICHARD MAYER Assistant Managing Editor
Future flood relief to Mt. Prospect and Prospect Hts. residents is underway with construction of Levee 37 along River Road having begun in the last month.
According to Mt. Prospect Village Manager Michael Janonis, removal of trees and other vegetation along River between Milwaukee and Euclid avenues continues in addition to sheet piling at "critical" points along the Des Plaines River.
"The biggest thing right now is stockpiling materials," said Janonis.
Janonis said one of the main sites for stockpiling is at Cook County Forest Preserve Grove 2, just north of Euclid Avenue on River Road, where a groundbreaking ceremony was held in March.
Once stockpiling is complete, crews over the next couple months will begin to build the actual levee wall, with construction anticipated to begin this past Monday (June 1). Janonis said crews will drive sheet piling into the ground and then encase the sheets in concrete.
"Work also needs to be done with outflows into the river," said Janonis. "A lot of stormwater comes off the roadways and then into the subdivisions west of River Road."
The approximate $26 million, two-year project is expected to be completed by 2011. Of the $26 million, Prospect Hts. and Mt. Prospect are expected to incur $600,000 in expenses, which will be split evenly.
"In the end, that's a real bargain," said Janonis.
The main floodwall will be constructed along the east side of River Road and Milwaukee Avenue between Euclid Avenue and Palatine Road.
Features of the project include:
* Construction of approximately 8,200 linear ft. of earthen levee and concrete floodwall,
* Three pump stations with 20,000 gallon per minute pumping capacity,
* Ten outlet closure structures,
* One backflow structure.
There will also be a tieback levee along Palatine Road located completely within the City of Prospect Hts., near Palatine Road between Burning Bush Lane and Milwaukee Avenue.
In that area, approximately 1,400 linear ft. of concrete floodwall will be constructed with one sewer outlet closure structure.
One of the highlights of this project, according to Janonis, is there will be automatic pumps built into the system, so Mt. Prospect and Prospect Hts. won't have to mobilize manual pumps to the same degree they have been used to for the past 25 years.
However, while construction continues, if there were to be another flood event, Janonis said a temporary levee wall might have to be built again to protect residents and business to the immediate west of River Road.
Currently, the right curb lane northbound on River Road is closed and will remain so during the entire scope of the project.
In addition to the levee, Milwaukee Avenue at River Road is also being reconfigured and expected to be completed prior to the levee being finished.
"Right now going north on River Road you can't turn right onto Milwaukee Avenue," said Janonis. "However, when construction at the intersection is complete, motorists will be able to turn right."
Janonis said IDOT (Illinois Dept. of Transportation) is redesigning the road at that intersection to raise the street level, which will become part of the levee.
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