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Engineers urge relocation after finding dozens of failed tendons at Fargo Ground Transportation Center
Summary
KLJ engineers told the finance committee they uncovered dozens of ruptured or loose post-tension tendons while removing the deck overlay at the Ground Transportation Center, and recommended relocation as the most reliable long-term option after outlining costly repair and shoring alternatives.
City consultant Casey McNames of KLJ told the Fargo Finance Committee that multiple phases of work on the Ground Transportation Center uncovered progressive structural deterioration in the underground parking deck and deck overlay. "In 2020 we found 9 tendons that were no longer tensioned," McNames said. "In 2021 we found 4 tendons, and this last go-around we found 25 tendons," and she noted an additional rupture was discovered the week before the meeting.
McNames explained that the structure uses a post-tension system and that many tendons are exposed, corroded, or ruptured. She described repair work — cutting, threading and re-tensioning tendons, and hydraulic jacking — and listed interim stabilization options: a full structural analysis and targeted repairs, temporary shoring estimated at roughly $300,000–$500,000, or a short-term stabilization effort that staff estimated could cost $2–3 million. "Our recommendation, just based on what we know, what we see really is that relocation option," she said, citing construction sequencing challenges and uncertainty about unseen damage.
Committee members pressed staff and consultants about short-term safety and operational impacts. McNames said certain deck areas have been closed and buses removed from the deck and that staff are monitoring conditions daily; she told the committee the situation is "concerning" but that there was no imminent public-safety threat at the time of the presentation. Commissioners asked staff to pursue temporary relocation options for municipal court and transit operations — examples discussed included the old Public Health building, the police department building, construction trailers, or a nearby parking lot — and to return quickly with a relocation plan.
Next steps: staff and consultants committed to producing a relocation plan and additional cost estimates; the city will continue daily monitoring of the deck while pursuing interim operations and further analysis.
