Flood Control Project Double Box Culvert Maintenance and Repair Project
Minneapolis
Project Number: FCP-1 (CIP #13)
Project Status | Active
A feasibility study was completed in June 2025. A public hearing was held and the project was officially ordered September 2025. 90% designs were approved in June 2026. Plans will be finalized in summer/fall 2026. Construction is planned for winter 2026/2027 and will be largely underground.
Project Funding | Not Grant Funded
The estimated total project cost (including design, construction, feasibility study, and administration) is $1,504,000. Funding will come from taxes levied on watershed residents by Hennepin County on BCWMC's behalf over 2026 - 2028.
Project Description
The Double Box Culvert is part of the a system of storm sewer tunnels that convey Bassett Creek under downtown Minneapolis to the Mississippi River, where it discharges downstream of St. Anthony Falls. The tunnel system is part of the overall Flood Control Project and was constructed in three phases including the I-94/2nd Street tunnel (Phase 1), the 3rd Avenue tunnel (Phase 2), and the Double Box Culvert (Phase 3). The Double Box Culvert was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1992 and it was turned over to the City of Minneapolis in 2002. Since that time, the City of Minneapolis has owned the system.
Inspection reports in 2019 and 2024 identified both structural and operation and maintenance defects within this 5,600-foot-long section of the tunnel. This project will complete the repairs needed to ensure the ongoing structural integrity of the tunnel which runs under downtown Minneapolis. Repairs include:
- Shear Key Joint Repair
- Crack and Fracture Repair
- Concrete Surface Repairs
- Tap and Invert Repairs
- Removal of Attached Encrustations, Sediment, and Debris
Project Announcements
Construction is during winter 2026/2027 and will largely be underground.
More Information
90% Designs Memo | Presentation (June 2026)
60% Designs Presentation (March 2026)
Feasibility Study (June 2025)
Inspection reports and other Bassett Creek Flood Control Project information (lower left)