Nearly two years have passed since the L536 Levee System in Rock Port, Missouri was breached in five locations, devastating the local area and causing significant flooding to nearby farmland. As of early February, repair and construction is over 70% complete, with over 4.5 miles of new levee constructed—on time to provide protection from spring rains as work continues into summer.
Because of Shimmick’s hard work and dedication to progressing the levee’s construction through dismal conditions, the 3.5-inch rainfall recently received in the Rock Port area created no risk of flooding. Says U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District Resident Engineer Corina Zhang, PE, “It is a privilege to be part of this team that has been the definition of perseverance.”
In the past year, the Shimmick team—one with nine local subcontractors—has worked over 240,000 man-hours without a lost time incident despite record-setting temperatures through winter. The team utilized innovative methods such as heated tents to thaw the frozen clay used in the levee’s construction. Shimmick has moved over 1.6 million cubic yards of soil and worked daily through winter to ensure construction remained on track.