The city of Fort Lauderdale is beginning its Stormwater improvements project in the historic Dorsey Riverbend neighborhood.

Man-Con, Inc will install 21,000 feet of stormwater pipe, install 90 drainage structures, install a new sewer pump station, reconstruct swale areas, trim trees, restore pavement, reconstruct driveways, and relocate nearby water and sewer lines.

Construction began on Monday, July 22, 2024 and will continue to late 2026. Work will happen on weekdays between 7am and 6pm. For more information: use the website for the City of Fort Lauderdale.

Stormwater improvement projects are especially necessary at a time where Fort Lauderdale has been hit with historic flooding. In early April of 2023, some parts of the city received more than 25 inches of rain while surrounding cities saw as high as 17 inches. Dorsey Riverbend is just one of the seven vulnerable neighborhoods highlighted in a $200 million plan to update drainage. Others include Durrs, Progresso, Victoria Park, and Southeast isles. The end goal is for the installed infrastructure to withstand about 10 inches of rain in a 24-hour period.

Improving stormwater infrastructure is a race against the clock. Canals that flooded in the past would drain their water out onto the ocean, but recently the ocean’s rising waters has caused problems with natural outflow.