Crane Rigs Beside I-35W, Stormwater Facility Construction, Minneapolis
Red construction crane and concrete wall under construction along I-35W highway in Minneapolis.
Interstate 35W cuts through south Minneapolis on a below-grade alignment, separated from adjacent neighborhoods by long concrete sound walls. The construction site along its eastern shoulder is part of MnDOT's I-35W stormwater storage facility, built to capture and treat runoff from the freeway corridor before it reaches the Mississippi River watershed. Crawler cranes and pile-driving rigs on site are used to sink shafts and place reinforcement for underground storage chambers. MnDOT has pursued similar underground stormwater infrastructure elsewhere in the Twin Cities as part of broader efforts to meet federal Clean Water Act permitting requirements for highway runoff.
Photo taken in February 2022.
