Five Shaft Openings Above I-35W, Stormwater Storage Facility, Minneapolis
Aerial view of I-35W stormwater storage tunnel construction showing five large circular pipe sections and surrounding roadway.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation built this stormwater storage facility along I-35W in Minneapolis to capture runoff that once overwhelmed the corridor's drainage system during heavy rain. The project uses a series of large-diameter shafts bored into bedrock beneath the freeway, connected to underground tunnels that hold water until it can be released or treated. MnDOT undertook the work as part of a broader effort to reduce flooding on this stretch of I-35W, which runs through a residential section of the city just east of the highway. Construction required closing lanes and rerouting traffic while crews excavated and lined the shafts with concrete and rebar reinforcement.
Photo taken in February 2022.
