City of Carver closing Main Street Bridge due to flooding
Carver's Main Street Bridge closes due to flooding
As flooding continues to be a concern, the City of Carver is closing the Main Street West Bridge to build a temporary levee extension along Spring Creek. MnDOT is also closing Highway 41 at the Minnesota River crossing starting Thursday morning due to rising water levels.
CARVER, Minn. (FOX 9) - The City of Carver will close its Main Street West Bridge on Thursday to build a temporary levee extension along Spring Creek.
Starting at 9 a.m., the bridge will be closed between Broadway and Jorgensen Streets until floodwaters recede. This is the first time the Main Street Bridge has been closed because of flooding since June 2014.
The city's Riverside Park has been closed since June 4 due to flooding and the city has also put in place other preps, including closing stormwater gates and activating pumping stations.
Related: Carver County highways 11, 30 and 41 close due to continued flooding
As part of a longer-term plan, the city is also working to make upgrades to the Carver levee. The project faces a $3.35 million funding gap in its $13 million pricetag. City officials hope to start construction on phase one of the project next summer.
Once complete and approved by FEMA, the city says the levee will remove 61 properties from the floodplain, meaning property owners will no longer be required to carry flood insurance.
"As a community on the Minnesota River, flooding is unfortunately something we’re all too familiar with in the City of Carver," said Mayor Courtney Johnson in a provided statement. "We always take this threat seriously and have a solid plan in place to make all the necessary preparations as the Minnesota River continues to rise."