Garage floods at condos near Southwest LRT

Residents of the Calhoun Isles condominium complex, located near Southwest light-rail construction in Minneapolis, were informed Sunday that parts of their underground parking garage had flooded due to a water main break.

In an email to residents Sunday morning, a property manager for the complex said a water source/main serving the Southwest light-rail construction corridor burst "causing flooding against the walls of and into the parking garage."

Residents were told to move their cars out of the parking garage, which has two levels underground. One resident said there was "several feet to several inches" of flooding in some areas of the garage, which is adjacent to the condo tower.

City officials were on the scene Sunday morning to shut down the water main, the memo said. Southwest light-rail construction officials were also on the scene to pump standing water away from the building.

By Sunday afternoon, a memo was sent to residents from the Southwest project office saying the situation was under control.

The condo building is located within feet of a tunnel serving the Southwest line, the most-expensive public works project in state history.

"It would seem logical to conclude this was caused by construction of the Southwest light-rail project," said Vanne Owens Hayes, president of the condo association.

A team from the Southwest light-rail project office is investigating the flooding.

"This news is certainly frustrating," said Community Outreach Coordinator David Davies in an e-mail to residents. "As of now, this localized flooding poses no risk to the other surrounding buildings.

"A cause of the failure has not yet been established," Davies added. "We plan to share more details with the community as we have them."

Construction of the half-mile long tunnel was suspended last month after cracks were discovered in hallways and common areas between the third and 10th floors of the condo tower.

Cracking had long been feared by residents of the unusual building after construction of the light-rail line began in 2018. The complex includes 109 condos in a tower that was originally built as grain elevators in 1915 and 1928 and adapted for residential use in the 1980s. There are also 34 townhome units located nearby.

The Metropolitan Council, which is building Southwest, is conducting an investigation into the cracking issue, aided by Socotec, a structural engineering firm. Construction of the tunnel has been suspended.

The condo complex is located near the narrowest part of the Southwest line's route in the Kenilworth corridor, where light rail and freight trains will be located, as well as a bike and pedestrian path.

The 14.5-mile Southwest line will connect downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, with stops in St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka. Passenger service is expected to begin in 2027.

Last month, council officials said the cost of the line will increase by $450 million to $550 million, bringing the price tag to $2.65 billion to $2.75 billion. A year ago, the cost was $2 billion.

The council said one reason costs have soared is due to a special construction method for the tunnel.