Crane Tower Above Shaft, I-35W Stormwater Storage Facility, Minneapolis

The I-35W stormwater storage facility is a large underground vault built by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to capture and hold runoff from the interstate corridor before it's released into the city's drainage system. Construction of underground vaults like this one typically involves lining excavated shafts with plastic sheeting and insulation to protect concrete curing in cold weather, a common practice during Minnesota winters. The red structure extending down into the shaft is a tower crane used to move materials and equipment during the excavation and pour. Stormwater storage systems of this kind help reduce flooding and control the amount of runoff entering the Mississippi River watershed from highway surfaces.

Photo taken in February 2022.