Missouri Governor Jay Nixon stopped in at Rosecrans Air National Guard base Friday and touted the release of $2 million for repair and improvements to levees along the Missouri River.
“Repairing and improving these levees is critical to the safety and economic vitality of this region, and thanks to the successful bipartisan effort to sustain my vetoes last week, the resources are available to help this project move forward,” Gov. Nixon said. “I appreciate the General Assembly for working across the aisle last week to protect our ability to make this important investment.”
The $2 million state funding released last week, coupled with local resources, will enable construction to begin in the 2015 construction season on replacement of control structures, a few relief wells and expanded under-seepage berms. This funding will serve as a portion of the local share for a larger construction project to improve the levees involving federal funding through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Design work on the larger levee improvement project has been completed, and the state investment will allow for the first significant construction on this project to get underway.
“I thank Sen. Schaaf, as well as the City of St. Joseph and Buchanan County, for making this project a top priority, and I am happy that the State can partner with the community to see it get underway,” the Governor said.