C+S Winter 2024 Vol. 10 Issue 4 (web)

Infrastructure

Light at the End of the Tunnel How PCiRoads found custom equipment for a unique project

By PCiRoads

Minneapolis features a busy and lively downtown area that’s home to nearly 57,000 residents along with 216,000 employees each week, per mplsdowntown.com. The city has consistently topped more than $1 billion in new construction permits over the past 11 years as it grows and builds new businesses, apartment complexes, and more. Despite the recent growth, some of the city’s underground infrastructure is not so new. In fact, the storm drain system is about 100 years old. Minneapolis’ development combined with increased rainfall brings more water into the system, which heightens the pressure on the tunnel. This has caused deterioration, including cracks and breaks. In 2021, the City of Minneapolis Public Works Department approved a $60 million project to overhaul the stormwater tunnel system that moves water from downtown Minneapolis to the Mississippi River. The scope of the three-year Central City Parallel Storm Tunnel Project included enlarging portions of the existing stormwater tunnel, building a new parallel tunnel, and constructing new tunnel access in downtown Minneapolis with the hopes of getting another 100 years out of the renovated system.

Credit: Curb Roller Manufacturing For unique projects such as tunnels, Curb Roller Manufacturing offers custom drums that are powered by the company’s hydraulic roller screed

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WINTER 2024

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