Deadmans Run Flood Reduction Project

Deadmans Run Flood Reduction Project

After several years of study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the City of Lincoln and LPSNRD, the Deadmans Run Flood Reduction Project (DMR) entered the design phase in December, 2018.  Soon after, the Platte River basin experienced record flooding, which was soon followed by the global pandemic.  While the timeline for completing the project has been altered, there has been recent progress toward completing the design phase.  Needed data has been provided by project modeling, including the construction and use of a model flume by the UNL Engineering College specifically for the DMR project.  LPSNRD expects a 65% design plan by the end of 2021, which will allow the start of landrights acquisition.  Actual construction could begin in 2023.

Planning included valuable input from the public and, particularly, from residents of the watershed, who, upon completion of the project, will benefit from the lifting of federal flood insurance requirements. The $25 million project will remove approximately 500 homes and businesses from the 100-year floodplain, reducing the risk of flooding in an area, generally, between North 33rd and 48th Streets, just north of UNL’s East Campus.  Federal funding by the Corps totals $10 million and includes:

  • Widening 1.4 miles of the main channel from Cornhusker Highway upstream to 48th Street;
  • Constructing a concrete flume to convey stormwater under two railroad bridges west of North 33rd Street;
  • Relocating a State Fair Park access road; and
  • Planting trees and native grasses to ensure no negative environmental impacts.

LPSNRD and the City of Lincoln will split the remaining cost for these improvements, totaling about $2.5 million each.

Widening the main channel means bridges at 33rd, 38th and 48th streets will need to be replaced.  Funding for these projects and construction of a stormwater detention area near Fleming Fields will come from local funds totaling $10 million, also split evenly by LPSNRD and the City. 

Lincoln's Deadmans Run Watershed has a history of dangerous flooding and severe erosion.  In 1967, the creek was documented through a series of photos, pointing out many needed improvements, even then.

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