I-35W Stormwater Storage Facility Recognized in National Engineering Competition

I-35W STORMWATER STORAGE FACILITY RECOGNIZED IN NATIONAL ENGINEERING COMPETITION
Milestone Infrastructure Safeguards Travelers During Major Storms

WASHINGTON (April 11, 2025) – Barr Engineering Co. of Minneapolis has earned an Honor Award for exemplary engineering achievement. They will be celebrated at the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 58th annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) for the I-35W Underground Stormwater Storage Facility project in Minneapolis.

To address the safety hazards of significant flooding and explosive stormwater geysers that have resulted from major storm events, Barr led development of Minnesota’s first vertical, underground stormwater storage system. The design and construction approaches addressed several critical challenges, including complex hydraulic conditions, deep excavation with a high groundwater table, and adjacent highway reconstruction—all in a restricted space wedged between the interstate and a residential area.

The completed facility features six connected, 80-foot-deep chambers with a combined capacity of 4.5 million gallons of stormwater—the equivalent of seven Olympic-size swimming pools. The massive, underground facility is designed to significantly reduce the depth, duration, and frequency of stormwater flooding along this section of the interstate.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation commissioned and facilitated the project. Other project participants included TKDA, Brierley Associates, and the contractor joint venture of Kraemer North America and Nicholson Construction.

Judging for the awards program took place in February and was conducted by a national 32-member panel of built environment leaders, along with experts from government, media, and academia. Award criteria focused on uniqueness, technical innovation, social and economic value, and generating excitement for the engineering profession.

Recognition of all award winners—including 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards, and the prestigious “Grand Conceptor Award” for the year’s most outstanding overall engineering achievement—will take place at the EEA Gala, to be held at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

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The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the business association of America’s engineering industry, representing more than 5,200 independent engineering firms and more than 600,000 professionals throughout the United States engaged in the development of America’s transportation, water, and energy infrastructure, along with environmental, industrial, and other public and private facilities. Founded in 1906 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations.