What’s the latest on 35th Avenue construction?

The following article was submitted by Lisa Goddard, an engineer with the City of Minneapolis Public Works/Surface Waters & Sewers department:

A storm sewer replacement project on 35th Avenue is expected to be finished by the end of July after delays last year pushed the project into a second season.

Work began last spring to replace and enlarge the city’s storm main under 35th Avenue from Central Avenue to Ulysses Street, and on Tyler Street between 35th to 36th avenues. In addition to replacing the main, stormwater inlets that collect runoff flowing on the street and access structures have been replaced. A stormwater pretreatment unit was also constructed at the intersection of 35th Avenue and Tyler Street using grant funding from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.

The city’s pipe crew encountered several unexpected conflicts with other underground utilities that slowed their progress. Because the facilities that make concrete pavement materials close during the cold winter months, the city put down temporary pavement last fall to restore the streets after the pipe crews did their work on the western part of the project. 

The paving crew came back earlier this month to start prepping those blocks for permanent concrete west of Taylor Street. This entails removing the temporary pavement with backhoes to be trucked off site. Smaller equipment is then brought in to create a smooth base for the pavement. Finally, the concrete trucks will come when they are ready to pour the permanent pavement.

The pipe crew is currently at Pierce Street and working east to Ulysses, completing roughly 1 to 1.5 blocks per week. There will be road closures as they complete the work. They now expect the storm sewer replacement to be completed by June 1.

The paving crew will follow behind the pipe crew and continue to restore the road as the pipe crew advances to the east. The city expects to complete all paving work by the end of July. They will also be replacing sod where it was impacted by their construction.

This project was initiated out of a large study to reduce flooding, among other goals, in the Waite Park, Columbia Park, Marshall Terrace, and Audubon Park neighborhoods. The City’s storm sewer improvements work in conjunction with the new storm pipes and three stormwater basins currently under construction by the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization in Columbia Golf Course and Park to the west. 

Once both projects are completed, the potential for flooding within the neighborhood will be less, and when it does flood, the depth of water covering the streets will be reduced. The stormwater basins in Columbia Golf Course and Park will also help improve the quality of stormwater reaching the Mississippi River, and the pretreatment structure on 35th Avenue. will help ensure the long-term function of those basins by separating and screening out trash, sediment, and hydrocarbons.