U.S. Bank Stadium suffers water damage from drain leaks
By Adam Carlson
U.S. Bank Stadium, the future home of the Minnesota Vikings, suffered millions of dollars worth of water damage from drainage leaks in the snow gutter.
It turns out that U.S. Bank Stadium might not be as prepared for heavy snowfall as once believed. Following a big snowstorm, the future home of the Minnesota Vikings seemed to be working properly to slide snow off the futuristic roof and into the drainage gutters, but that wasn’t the case.
According to an article on the Fox 9 website, approximately 30 percent of the panels on the stadium will need to be removed after leaks in the drainage gutter caused water damage to the facility. Sadly, this will not be a cheap fix. The amount of damage is both large and substantial, however the approximate $3.5 million in repairs will be covered by the stadium contractors and designers.
Related Story: U.S. Bank Stadium starting NFL trend
The signs for the stadium will have to be removed and put back on to access the damaged vapor barrier that caused the leaks. Luckily, the panels themselves will not need to be replaced and can be put back on following the repairs.
Rob Olson, of Fox 9 posted on his Twitter account a photograph of a computerized blueprint showing the location of the damage on the exterior panels of U.S. Bank Stadium.
John Wood of Mortenson showing us where US Bank Stadium water leaks are - on outside panels of snow gutters. pic.twitter.com/6vfnOcVBjk
— Rob Olson (@RobOlsonFOX9) February 19, 2016
The new stadium is designed to melt snow off the roof and collect the snow that falls from the high-tech roof. From there, the snow is heated up until it melts, and then the water is moved away from the stadium through the drainage system. However, leaks in that drainage system were the cause of the water damage, which is not expected to be a lengthy or complicated fix.
Next: Top 10 quarterbacks in Minnesota Vikings history
Following the essential repairs to the stadium, the facility should still be on track to open for the 2016 NFL season, where the Minnesota Vikings will be able to call U.S. Bank Stadium a permanent home after playing two season outdoors at TCF Bank Stadium, the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.