Roller gate on 12th Avenue SE marks ‘milestone’ in Cedar Rapids flood protection

CEDAR RAPIDS — Federal and city of Cedar Rapids officials celebrated the completion of a floodgate at 12th Avenue SE as a “milestone” in efforts to fortify the city against rising Cedar River waters as part of its approximately $750 million permanent flood protection system.

The $6.39 million project, supported by federal funding from the Army Corps of Engineers, was finished last fall and will help shield the historically flood-prone New Bohemia District.

The gate can close and lock into place in about one hour. It is 8 feet tall, 79 feet long and weighs roughly 70,000 pounds.

“Our flood control system is impressive by any standard,” Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said Thursday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony near the new gate. “It is more than just walls and pumps. It is the backbone to a series of greenways, parks, trails, amenities, even an amphitheater, that are vital to the vibrant connections that we want to provide our citizens here in Cedar Rapids.”

What’s the status of flood protection?

With the floodgate completion, the nearly 40,000 linear feet of overall permanent flood protection is about one-third complete. Another 15.6 percent is under construction, according to Rob Davis, the city’s flood control program manager.

The east side of Cedar Rapids’ flood control system is 43.7 percent complete, with another 22.6 percent of the 22,311 linear feet of protection under active construction, he said.

Work is slated to wrap up on the east side by the end of 2026.

The main east side segments that remain, Davis said, are:

The west side stretches 17,259 linear feet and is 19.7 percent complete, with 6.5 percent under construction, Davis said.

This side is not eligible for Army Corps funding under its cost-benefit formula, which determined the cost of construction on the west side would exceed the value of the buildings it would protect, leaving the city to find other sources of funding.

“You have endured devastating floods in the past,” said Brig. Gen. Kimberly Peeples, commander of the Army Corps’ Mississippi Valley Division. “You have demonstrated resolve in the flood fight, and you have championed a world-class flood protection system to benefit all.”

While the 12th Avenue Bridge was closed for construction of the floodgate, crews performed maintenance on the bridge and worked on several nearby projects, O’Donnell said. That includes a new mini- roundabout at 12th Avenue and Second Street SE and a new city-owned parking lot behind the African American Museum of Iowa.

Work on the project prompted the museum to close for a year and undergo $5 million in renovations, including relocating the entrance since the new floodgate blocked the original entrance.

“We're just so pleased and proud that we're able to maintain the African American Museum in the city of Cedar Rapids at this location,” City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said.

“It is much more than a symbol,” he said. “It's a remembrance and an opportunity to also look to the future as to how our community recognizes the plight of the African American population but also the success and the future of that population.”

‘Push’ for Eighth Avenue Bridge funds

A key segment of the city’s permanent flood control system still awaiting federal funds is replacing the Eighth Avenue Bridge with a new, elevated one, connecting both sides of the river during floods. Cedar Rapids officials have been lobbying for years to secure federal funding.

The new, elevated bridge would limit the need to evacuate areas behind the completed flood control system, improve trail access and expand connectivity across the river.

It would be a single-pier cable stayed bridge designed for a 100-year life span. It would have a single pier in the river, instead of the current seven piers, to improve the flow of the river and reduce upstream water levels.

As the city continues lobbying for the project, estimated at $76.1 million, a new bridge remains several years out.

Recently, the city of Cedar Rapids again applied for a $25 million federal RAISE grant — the maximum amount — for the Eighth Avenue Bridge through the U.S. Department of Transportation. It also is seeking a $60.9 million Bridge Investment Program grant and a DOT PROTECT grant.

So far, the project is partially funded through general obligation bonds and Iowa Flood Mitigation Program funds. In April 2021, the Iowa Department of Transportation awarded $1 million toward the bridge replacement through its City Bridge Program.

Four previous grant applications, from 2020 through 2023, scored in the top category, “highly recommend,” but the program is extremely competitive. Only 10 percent to 15 percent of applications are awarded funds, according to the city.

U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson of Marion, a Republican representing the 2nd Congressional District, touted her role on the House Appropriations Committee in helping secure funding the city’s flood protection and said “flood mitigation is about saving lives, but it's also about saving livelihoods, and that is really what is at stake here.”

Asked about advancing Cedar Rapids’ efforts to secure federal funding for the Eighth Avenue Bridge, Hinson said, “We've actually worked with them to refine their application to try to make sure that we can even have better luck going forward because it keeps making it to that final round with the Department of Transportation.”

“We've heard it's gotten to Secretary (Pete) Buttigieg's desk so we continue to work with his team at DOT and also the team here in Cedar Rapids because we understand how vital that infrastructure is to the vibrancy of the city,” Hinson told reporters.

Iowa’s U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said it’s about making a “continued push” to secure funding.

Ernst and Hinson voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that funds efforts such as the Bridge Investment Program but have lobbied to secure flood mitigation dollars at the federal level.

“What a great benefit to the city of Cedar Rapids for the betterment of those individual families that were impacted and the businesses that are now located here,” Ernst said of the city’s flood control system.

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