Lebow Channel is an urban stream that has drained floodwaters from neighborhoods dating back to the 1960s, but it has suffered from prolonged erosion from numerous floods. Repeated roadway overtopping and channel erosion posed safety risks, leading to multiple high-water rescues at the 28th Street bridge and nearby railroad underpass.

Under the Hazardous Road Overtopping Mitigation program, the project team set out to install this $5-million set of improvements at 28th Street and Decatur Avenue, focusing on enhancing 1,500 linear ft of the Lebow Channel around the NE 28th Street bridge.

Primary objectives included conveying runoff from a 100-year storm under 28th Street, reducing water depth over the roadway during storm events and providing additional flood storage for severe storms. To do that, crews installed grade control structures and rock riprap armoring upstream and downstream of the bridge to counter increased water velocities. The design included benching the channel for flood risk reduction, creating a meandering low-flow channel and planting native trees and vegetation to restore the riparian zone.