With rain in the forecast Friday, this could be the first test of a year-long project to flood-proof Muncie’s Madison Street underpass.

Bowen Engineering and the Muncie Sanitary District recently completed much of the work on the underpass. Bowen Project Manager Paul Creasey says all but the final phase is done. That should be installed by next week.

Creasey: “The goal is to be substantially complete, meaning the system would be operational. However, we do have final completion to still achieve which will require some final restoration, pond excavations, the plantings, native seed installation, basically just restore the site in whole before we complete and turn over to the owner.”

Sandleben: “Make it pretty again?”

Creasey: “That’s right. Make it pretty again.”

The project included installing a three-tier pumping system to stop the flooding issue. Should the first system fill up with rainwater, the second kicks in. If that one fills up, the third will kick in.

Creasey says the first two tiers will prevent flooding from average rainfall amounts. The third is for drastic downpours, such as five or six inches of rain.

The project is scheduled to be completely finished by the end of September.