As the city of Merriam works to mitigate flooding of Turkey Creek, which runs alongside the downtown area, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing additional work to see whether the Johnson and Merriam Drive bridges need to be completely replaced.
On July 14, the Merriam City Council voted 7-0 to approve spending $720,000 as a local match for the Army Corps project to determine whether the two bridges — which cap either end of historic downtown Merriam — need to be completely rebuilt. If so, then Merriam Drive itself likely needs to be realigned.
Days after approving the $720,000 local match, Turkey Creek flooded early Thursday morning for the first time in more than two decades.
Now, as the Army Corps works on more than $2 million worth of engineering work studying the bridges, the city’s efforts to mitigate downtown flooding is delayed until after the additional work is complete.
“Storm is a clear example of” city’s need to address flooding
On the morning of July 17, after significant overnight rainfall, Turkey Creek spilled over its banks in Merriam.
City Administrator Chris Engel told the city council the morning of the flooding, in an email shared with the Post, that downtown Merriam was completely underwater for a period of time. Merriam Police helped with two vehicle water rescues and several vehicle pushouts in the area, he said in the email.
Deputy City Administrator Caitlin Gard told the Post that the flooding left some roadways temporarily impassable on July 17, including the Merriam Drive bridge itself, Gard said. Merriam crews were out in the early morning that day to assess damage and address safety concerns, she said.
“While we’re still gathering full details, last night’s storm is a clear example of why the City continues to prioritize long-term flood mitigation,” Deputy City Administrator Caitlin Gard told the Post, adding that the July 14 city council action progressing “the Upper Turkey Creek project was incredibly timely.”
The $720K is going toward additional engineering work
In 2022, the city of Merriam entered an agreement with the Army Corps to design the 2015 Upper Turkey Creek project that would reduce flooding risks in downtown Merriam. This work also includes validating that 2015 plan.
That design work shows that the Johnson Drive and Merriam Drive bridges in downtown need to be replaced in order to be elevated.
Engel said that if the Johnson Drive bridge needs to be elevated, then it is likely that Merriam Drive itself will need to be realigned toward the east to match that grading. This would displace businesses, he said.
Before signing a project partnership agreement with the Army Corps — which locks Merriam into a partnership before design work and total costs are finalized — Engel said city staff requested additional engineering work to determine whether the bridge replacements are necessary.
The $720,000 that the city council approved on Monday is the entirety of the 30% local match. Engel said Merriam will request a $540,000 reimbursement from the Johnson County Stormwater Management Program, meaning the city’s actual portion of this additional work would be $180,000.
Merriam is considering a second option for flood mitigation
As the Army Corps continues work to validate its 2015 plan for downtown Merriam, the city has contracted with HNTB, a local engineering firm, as a second option for flood mitigation in the area.
Two early concepts shared by HNTB call for the removal of all the physical buildings in historic downtown Merriam, which runs roughly between the Johnson and Merriam drive bridges.
This section of downtown is home to dozens of small businesses, many of whom are opposed to the idea of razing these buildings.
These business owners generally find the Army Corps project more favorable due to fewer impacts on local shops. Realigning Merriam Drive may displace more businesses than originally planned in 2015, though.
Billy Croan, a Merriam resident who is also running for mayor against incumbent Bob Pape this year, called the idea of “destroying downtown to save our downtown” “double speak.”
“$720,000 is a lot of money to throw towards the continued destruction of our historic downtown, and for what, to save downtown from flooding?” Croan asked on Monday.
The city will own the data either way
The city has been working with the Army Corps for the past three years on this project to validate the 2015 study. Once the study is complete, Merriam will own the data and be able to decide next steps with it.
In response to a question from Councilmember Bruce Kaldahl, Engel said that when the Army Corps is done with its study, the city will own all of the data.
Kaldahl clarified that this means if the city decides to do something on its own, the city can use the data and maps from the Army Corps.
Engel said the city has made it known to the Army Corps that it is still unclear whether Merriam plans to partner with them on downtown flood mitigation efforts.
Still, the city will have all of the information the Army Corps has gathered so far even if the city decides against entering a partnership with the federal agency.
“If we decide to do some other project, we are starting on second base,” Engel said.
Go deeper: Watch the city council’s entire discussion online here, starting at 26:25.
