In an Aug. 5 briefing, Bloomington Public Works said construction on the North Central Sanitary Sewer Project is ongoing and will run through 2026 and 2027. The job lays 13,330 feet of 24-inch pipe from American Boulevard and Morgan Avenue to Syndicate Avenue and West 92nd Street. Along the way it crosses under I-35W near the I-494 interchange. The city said the extra capacity is meant to support higher-density redevelopment in line with its comprehensive plan and regional goals.
The route starts on American Boulevard near Knox Avenue and runs east. It turns south on Irving Avenue, ducks under the freeway, follows Fremont Avenue and then heads east on West 92nd Street. There it ties into the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services interceptor near Syndicate Avenue, according to the city's project page. The new line also connects with about 800 feet of pipe that crews put in on Fremont Avenue at West 82nd Street in 2025.
Most of the line is going in trenchless, so for most of the route crews won't open a trench along the street. The city said that method was the most cost-effective and feasible option given site conditions and how deep the pipe sits, and it also limits disruption for property owners and drivers. Sanitary sewer utility funds cover the city's share. The city said there are no special assessments for the sewer project itself. The related Fremont Avenue street reconstruction, a separate project, does carry assessments.
How we got here: the pipe serves the Penn American District, the stretch of American Boulevard mostly between Penn Avenue and I-35W. Phase 1 there opened in September 2012, a $45 million project with 234 rental units and more than 14,000 square feet of retail. Phase 2 added a 5-story mixed-use building on Penn Avenue with a 200-seat restaurant and a 108-room Hilton extended-stay hotel. Phase 3, The District Apartments at the southwest corner of Knox and American, has 248 units, 50 of them affordable at 50% of area median income, next to an Orange Line bus rapid transit stop. The old sewer system wasn't sized for that kind of density.
Design started in 2025. The city planned to bid the work in January and February 2026 and start construction in April. In May, the state awarded Bloomington $4 million in bonding money for the project. The city's schedule puts completion in fall 2027.
General questions go to Public Works at 952-563-8700 or [email protected]. Project-specific questions go to civil engineer Darin Rezac at 952-563-4540 or [email protected]. More details are on the project page.
