Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven announced the permanent re-routing of the Red River, bringing the Red River Control Structure online in Fargo, North Dakota. This development is a central part of a $3.2 billion flood protection project spanning multiple states and aims to protect the Fargo-Moorhead region from future flooding.

The control structure, funded in part by $115 million from a $750 million federal allocation secured by Hoeven, is described as the largest of three gated structures on a 22-mile embankment designed to manage water flow through and around the metro area. The structure features three steel gates, each measuring 50 feet wide by 52 feet tall and weighing nearly 300,000 pounds.

Hoeven highlighted that this project is notable for being the first major Army Corps initiative to use a public-private partnership (P3) model. This approach allowed both public and private segments of the work to proceed at the same time, resulting in time and cost savings.

“For more than 15 years, we’ve worked to advance permanent flood protection for the entire Fargo-Moorhead region. This has been a tremendous undertaking, requiring us to bring in partners from across all levels of government and from the private sector, but now, we are seeing tremendous results as the very heart of the project, the Red River Control Structure, is brought online,” said Hoeven. “Re-routing the Red River is a remarkable feat and a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together. Moreover, we are making history, as this is the first major Corps project to use the P3 model. Being the first to break this new ground wasn’t easy, but as a result, the federal portion of this project is on time and under budget – that’s a rare achievement and will provide the flood protection this region needs sooner.”

Diverting the river marks an important step toward completing full operations by spring 2027. Once finished, it will provide permanent flood protection for approximately 260,000 people and safeguard about 70 square miles of infrastructure.

The completion follows Hoeven's involvement in passing 16 acts of Congress related to this effort—including nine legislative provisions such as authorizations in 2014 and 2016—and securing seven appropriations for construction funding. He also played a role in increasing federal funding commitments after renegotiating agreements with relevant agencies.

Other efforts included coordinating among four federal agencies; supporting concurrent construction activities like raising I-29; addressing easement issues on lands bought with Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds; and helping secure financing through programs such as WIFIA loans.