Formed from an ancient glacial lake, the Red River Valley is famous for its flat landscape and fertile soil. Perhaps less known is that it is also one of the most flood-prone areas in the U.S.

Late and heavy snow and resulting snow melt inundated portions of northern Minnesota this year and has affected other areas along the river, as engineers study trends and help cities and towns develop long term solutions  

Ames Construction with design engineer Alliant Engineering found ways to go beyond MnDOT requirements in completing this design-build project ahead of schedule and with reduced impacts on vehicular traffic.

Still hampered by pandemic-related uncertainly, Midwest construction starts fell in 2021 even as signs of a return to normalcy bolstered markets near the end of the year.

All of ENR Midwest's coverage of how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the regional construction industry.

Projects across ENR's 11-state Midwest region are being postponed or shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no real certainty in sight as to when they might continue. The wide-ranging secondary effects of the novel coronavirus and the shutdowns it caused include loss of sales tax and revenue for state incentives.

Davenport, Iowa and the Quad Cities area prepares for expected flooding, while the Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened in Louisiana.

Construction in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin is seen as essential infrastructure, so work continues on most sites in those states. Minnesota, Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas's orders broadly exempt outdoor activities. Michigan's order includes public works construction as essential.