The two congressmen who represent eastern Iowa are calling on the Army Corps of Engineers to start construction on a flood management project for Cedar Rapids.

Cedar Rapids was hit hard by flooding in June of 2008. Last year Congress authorized spending $73 million in Cedar Rapids to help prevent future flooding, but the project has been delayed. Congressman Dave Loebsack of Iowa City, a Democrat, and Rod Blum of Dubuque, a Republican, have co-signed a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers. Both mentioned the “devastation” caused by the flooding seven years ago in Cedar Rapids. The congressmen asked the federal agency to speed things up, so property and lives along the Cedar River corridor can be better protected in the future.