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Construction Updates

November 13, 2009

Work continues on the south portion of the wall just south of Seminole Lane and then farther south just north of Euclid Avenue.  Near Seminole Lane the contractor is working to complete the pump station and outlet structures prior to the arrival of the mechanical equipment in the next few months.  Photos below on the left show the pump station and outlet structures from the river side and from above.

And work activities have intensified on the north section just north of the River Road / Milwaukee Avenue intersection.  Sheet piling is being installed, photos below on the right, to create a temporary cofferdam that will permit construction of a closure structure and pump station at that location.  The good weather this fall has been a great benefit to the project allowing the contractor to maintain an excellent pace for the construction.

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October 2, 2009

As construction of the levee wall continues, backfilling operations are taking place along the sections of wall that have already been completed. Below are pictures showing the backfilling operations and near the intersection of River and Milwaukee where the sod has already been installed and the project has a finished look.

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September 18, 2009

Construction of the levee wall is ahead of schedule, with over 3,400 lineal feet of the concrete wall already completed.  Construction of the wall has reached south all the way to Tano Lane as seen in the picture below on the left.  The contractor and is expected to begin work on the section north of the River Road and Milwaukee Avenue intersection next month.  Also pictured below is a typical section of the concrete wall form lying down ready to be lifted into place and the reinforcing bars installed just prior to pouring of the concrete.

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September 4, 2009
The good weather we have experienced this summer has allowed the project to proceed without the significant rain interruptions that we would normally experience. Because of that, approximately 80% of the wall from Milwaukee Avenue to Euclid Avenue has been constructed. In addition, good progress has been made on the construction of the pump structures and backflow closure structures just south of Seminole Lane. Since the levee has been designed to extend from Euclid Avenue all the way to Palatine Road, work on the section of wall to be built along Milwaukee Avenue, north of River Road, will need to be coordinated with IDOT and their Milwaukee Avenue project and will extend into next year. Below are pictures depicting the wall near Camp McDonald Road and the pump structure south of Seminole Lane.
 

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August 21, 2009
Construction of the levee wall continues, including raising of Milwaukee Avenue just west of the Des Plaines River Bridge. The road itself will be raised high enough to eliminate the need to close Milwaukee Avenue in the event of a significant flood. Recently, concrete was poured for the eastbound lanes of the road. A picture showing the new lanes and the elevated height of the roadway is shown below.

Work has also started on other less visible, but equally critical elements of the flood protection project. The obvious flooding problem along the Des Plaines River is overland flooding when the river swells following significant rain events with water from the upstream tributary areas, Lake County and southeastern Wisconsin. However, the northeast section of Mount Prospect has experienced flooding in the past even when the river has not overtopped River Road. The storm sewer system from this section of town drains directly into the river, yet during heavy times when the river has neared flooding stage, it is these same sewers which have historically provided a conduit for the river’s flood waters to flow under River Road and into the subdivisions west of the river. In the early 1990’s, the Village installed backflow devices on the ends of the subdivisions storm sewers at the Des Plaines River which prevented this action from occurring. These backflow valves are still in place and working to protect the subdivisions from river flood waters. Since they are almost 20 years old, they will be replaced by new valves as part of the levee project. A picture of the existing valves is shown below.

Another element of the flood protection project is a pumping station to pump the water that falls within the Village’s subdivisions out into the Des Plaines River. When the River swells it traps the rainwater in the Village’s storm sewers that cannot exit out into the river because the backflow valves are closed. When this happens, you see the Public Works Department bring portable pumps out to the river and begin pumping the water from our local storm sewers into the Des Plaines River. The Levee project however includes automated pumping stations that will pump our stormwater into the river when the backflow valves close. Only in extreme conditions will the Village need to assist with the pumping operations in the future. A picture of the frame work and reinforcing steel for the pump station just south of Seminole Lane is shown below.

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July 24, 2009
The installation of the sheet piling continues to move north toward Seminole (photo below on the left), as the construction of the concrete wall that sits atop of the sheet piling has moved to near Camp McDonald Road and is progressing in both directions from there. Pictured below (2nd from the left) is a depiction of the wall framing and reinforcing bars installation. The tallest part of the wall above the existing ground level will be just south of Seminole Lane where the wall will rise approximately 6.5’ above the ground. However from that point south to the end of the wall near Euclid Avenue the wall will have a much lower profile. The two photos below on the right show how imposing the wall looks from the river side (2nd photo from the right) while it looks rather unobtrusive when viewed from the west side of River Road just north of Camp McDonald Road (photo on the right).

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July 1, 2009
Except for the flooding event on June 17th, which was successfully handled by the Village and the Contractor’s large pumps to remove the stormwater out of our neighborhoods and into the river, the weather has allowed construction to progress rapidly. The installation of the sheet piling base for the wall is nearly complete from Milwaukee Avenue to Euclid Avenue. And finally work has started on the portion of the wall that will be visible. The concrete wall that will protect our neighborhoods from flooding is rising from the ground and is impressive. Pouring of the concrete has started at Milwaukee Avenue and is proceeding south. The wall has an attractive textured finish. Pictures of the sheet piling and wall construction are shown below.
 

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June 12, 2009

Construction of Levee 37 continues at a vigorous pace despite the wet weather we have endured this season. More than 700’ of sheet piling has been installed along the east side of River Road from Milwaukee Avenue south to near Camp McDonald Road. If you drive by the site, the sheet piling (pictured below) will be difficult to see because it is below ground level. Its purpose is to serve as the base for the concrete levee wall. It is expected that construction of the concrete wall will start within the next two weeks. The wall will be almost 9,000 long when completed.

In conjunction with the levee construction, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has partnered with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and has agreed to raise the elevation of Milwaukee Avenue west of the Des Plaines River as part of their Milwaukee Avenue Reconstruction Project. This will serve as an important component of the levee system. Without raising of the pavement surface of Milwaukee Avenue, flood waters from the Des Plaines River could run around the levee wall and still cause flooding into the neighborhoods west of the river. By raising the roadway, IDOT eliminated the necessity for a gate structure that would prevent this end around flooding, but also would have closed Milwaukee Avenue to vehicular traffic during a flooding event. As can be seen in the picture below, the road raising project is underway. And as the picture shows, the raising is significant, almost 6.5’ higher than the existing roadway.

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May 29, 2009

Levee 37 construction is underway. The following work is currently taking place:

• Excavating for the wall has started south of Milwaukee Avenue and is proceeding south.
• Sheet piling is being installed at the edge of the river near our outlet structures just north of Woodview Drive. This will serve as a cofferdam (temporary levee) around our backflow structures to allow for replacement of the chambers, which will be built with permanent pumps to drain our storm sewer system when the river is at higher levels.
• Driving of sheet piling, which will be the base of the concrete levee wall, will begin also near our outlet structures.
• The first pouring of the concrete levee wall is anticipated on June 1st.

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Groundbreaking Ceremony - March 13, 2009

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the long awaited Flood Control Project called Levee 37 on March 13. This project will provide substantial flood protection to over 600 residential and business properties located near the Des Plaines River in Prospect Heights and Mount Prospect and eliminate the recurring need for sandbagging operations every heavy rain event. The project is a collaboration between the two municipalities (Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights), US Army Corps of Engineers, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Cook County Forest Preserve District.

The levee will be an 8,500 foot long structure, 500’ of earthen berm and 8,000 of concrete wall. It will be located on the east side of River Road and Milwaukee Avenue between Euclid Avenue and Palatine Road. The Army Corps has awarded a contract to Vistas Construction and it is anticipated that the project will be completed in 2011. The cost of the project is $23 million. Questions about the project can be directed to Village Engineer Jeff Wulbecker at (847) 870-5640 or .