In late January, what many Cedar Isles Condominiums residents had feared could happen during Southwest Light Rail (SWLRT) construction became a reality as cracks were identified in the iconic grain silos turned condos’ south tower adjacent to the SWLRT Kenilworth Corridor tunnel construction.
As many residents point to ongoing vibratory work as the source of the damage, the Met Council launched an investigation into the cause. The Met Council has retained Chicagobased Socotec to complete the investigation; the firm notably conducted the 35W bridge collapse investigation in 2007.
In addition to the structure damage, a water main break in the SWLRT construction zone flooded the condo building’s parking garage at the end of February—resulting in one lost car. It took crews more than 14 hours to pump out the 22 inches of water that covered 24 parking stalls in the basement level. A Cedar Isles Condo Association (CICA) representative and Met Council investigators now jointly inspect the towers weekly looking for any enlarged cracks or new structural damage. The condo’s footprint includes 109 units in the two silo towers, a connecting “bridge” structure, and 34 adjacent townhomes.
As of mid-March, the cracks in the south tower span from a half inch wide in the tenth floor elevator lobby to hairline cracks in the grout and tile in the ground floor lobby. Some residents are concerned that some braces may break away from the silo tower and are seeking for the damage to be repaired sooner rather than later.
The Met Council temporarily paused construction in the area in February after the initial damage was found. Light work along the Kenilworth Corridor at the Cedar Lake Parkway intersection has resumed, with the Met Council expecting to re-start excavation work and close the Parkway for 10 months beginning in April. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board granted the Council a permit to close the Parkway for six months, but has not yet agreed to the 10-month closure.
Resident Jim Nikora said the mood of residents is that of concern. “We need to have a cause established for this damage, we need to have a plan in place that avoids causing it to happen again. We need to have this damage repaired,” Nikora reported. “By and large, residents want the people [responsible] to own up to what happened and fix it and get done with this and get out of here - that’s the prevailing attitude.”
On Feb. 9, the CedarIsles-Dean Neighborhood Association (CIDNA) passed a resolution calling on the Met Council and Hennepin County “to provide and pay for relocation expenses and comparable temporary shelter costs to any residents who want it, until the safety issues are resolved to their satisfaction.” No residents have recently moved out. Michael Maher, who has lived in the building’s “bridge” since 2018 summed up the feelings of many of CICA residents: “I love my neighborhood, love the tower, love the views. I’m here to stay.”
At the March 9 CIDNA board meeting, David Davies, a Met Council representative, did not have a timeframe for when the investigation’s findings would be released. The Met Council continues to attend weekly HOA meetings with CICA residents.
In a statement, the Met Council said: “Secant pile wall construction remains paused until the Met Council has additional information from its structural engineers. We understand the community is looking for answers, but our structural engineers need time to conduct the engineering analysis.”
CICA president Vanne Owens Hayes noted: “The hardest part in this process is to have patience. We get to practice that a lot. It highlights what controls we do not have. We hope people are hearing our voice and relating to our experience. Hopefully no other infrastructure project will be implemented without learning from this one.”
