FARGO, ND — The Red River of the North is now permanently rerouted through the Red River Structure — the biggest milestone yet for Ames Construction and the FM Area Diversion Project.
The historic event attracted a crowd. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Metro Flood Diversion Authority, Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong and Senator John Hoeven, and more state and local officials and project partners gathered at the structure to watch the gates open and celebrate the event.
Situated 7 miles south of Fargo, North Dakota, the Red River Structure is the largest of three gated structures built by Ames along the flood control project’s southern embankment. The other two structures — the Diversion Inlet and the Wild Rice River Structure — were completed in 2023.
The Red River Structure features three 50-foot-wide Tainter Gates — the radial arm floodgates that will control the flow of water. Construction included mass excavation and embankment, steel piling, mass concrete, a spillway, a stilling basin, dam walls, a service bridge, and a control building. Because the structure is classified as a dam, the project must meet strict USACE requirements.
With the river rerouted, Ames will continue construction through the spring of 2026.
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The overall flood diversion project is on track to provide the region with permanent, reliable flood protection by 2027. During extreme flooding, the Red River and Wild Rice River structures will meter floodwaters through the metro area and release water through the Diversion Inlet into a 30-mile-long channel on the metro’s far western edge.
