Posted on October 5, 2026
Work to dredge Silver Lake and replace its dam could start as early as Oct. 12, if a proposed construction contract is approved Monday.
The Rochester City Council will be asked Monday to approve a nearly $19 million construction contract for the project that has been in the works for more than a decade.
The contract puts a $4.8 million cost to the planned dredging, with the proposed dam replacement costing $7.8 million, which will create rock arch rapids and wave pools east of the North Broadway Avenue bridge. The dredging expense could be reduced by roughly $730,000, if the council opts to scale back efforts to restrict work to areas in the greatest need of sediment removal.
The new structure is expected to keep much of the existing lake footprint in place, while reclaiming some land on the east end of the lake to extend the trail of the north side and provide added greenspace on the south side. Overall, the work is expected to alter 15% of the lake surface area.
While the proposed contract exceeds 2025 budget estimates by at least $3.8 million, Project Manager Matt Crawford noted in a report to the council that cost estimates had increased in the past year, with additional work added along the shoreline and in response to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources guidance.
“The changes made to the length and width of the rock arch rapids and number of rapids was reflected in the bids and updated engineering estimates,” he wrote, noting the estimated cost rose to nearly $21 million after adjustments were made.
The result is a bid that is 9.8% below the latest engineering estimate but more than 40% above 2020 project estimates.
While some added work increased the cost, other proposed aspects of the overall project have been scaled back to keep expenses within reach. That includes delaying plans for a pedestrian bridge on the west side of the lake, near Broadway Avenue.
Piers for a future bridge will be installed as the water levels are lowered for dredging and other work, which includes the creation of a northside trail and installation of retaining walls. The trail work is expected to cost nearly $3.6 million under the proposed contract, and installation of the bridge piers are set to cost $263,000.
Another roughly $2.5 million is expected to cover other costs, including traffic control and erosion control once the work begins.
Funding for the $21.7 million project, which includes the cost of design and engineering, is slated to come from a a variety of sources, including $11 million from reserved 1982 and 1989 flood control funds, $4.3 million from local stormwater utility funds, $3 million from Rochester Public Utilities and roughly $2.5 million in state grants.
Crawford reported the city has received required permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, with a decision on the needed state DNR permit expected by the time the council votes on the construction contract during its 6 p.m. meeting Monday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center.
If the contract is approved and the final permit is granted, Crawford said work is expected to begin as early as Oct. 12, with completion targeted for Sept. 1, 2027.
