By Vernon Robison

Moapa Valley Progress

Flood waters overflowed the river banks and flooded the Cooper Crossing in Overton last December. Last week over $13 million was approved for a new bridge and flood control infrastructure at this location. Photo by Vernon Robison.

The Clark County Regional Flood Control District (CCRFCD) board, at a meeting held Thursday, November 10, approved funding for the next phase of the ongoing Muddy River Flood Control project. This phase will include a bridge at Cooper Street in Overton, as well as concrete and rip-rap channel structures both upstream and downstream of the proposed bridge. The cost of construction on the project is budgeted at $13.28 million.

The final funding of the project came as something of a surprise last week. On October 13, the project had been presented to the CCRFCD and accepted by the board as meeting all the prerequisites for construction funding. But, at that time, sufficient funds were not deemed available. Thus, the project was placed in a que to await funding. At that time its estimated funding date was set at around September, 2013.

But the board funded the Cooper Street project last week because it was the most ‘shovel-ready’ project in the lineup, according to CCRFCD officials.

“There were three other projects ahead of this one on the list,” said CCRFCD spokesperson, Betty Hollister. “But the funding was available and those other three were still not quite ready to move forward. So they moved the Cooper Street project up on the schedule.”

According to the estimated construction schedule, a bid on the project would be awarded in February or March of next year. Construction would start shortly after that and is projected to last 12 months. Thus, completion of the project is expected by late spring of 2013.

According to the project documents, construction will include facilities along the Muddy River channel between Ramos Ranch Road and Ingram Avenue. In the areas adjacent to the bridge, the river bed will be fitted with a concrete channel. In areas further up and down stream, an earthen channel with rip-rap will be constructed to regulate flows in and out of the project area.

When construction is complete, the new bridge and channel will have the capacity to convey the 100-year design flow of 21,400 cubic foot per second (cfs), according to CCRFCD project documents.

It is expected that the project will create approximately 129 jobs.