Construction projects delayed by rain-filled summer

MINNEAPOLIS — As the season comes to an end, it could be called the summer of delays. We've seen rain delays at the State Fair, delays for the Twins and traffic delays too.

Those delays are costing a lot of people a lot of money. Even though the ground is dry now, the costly damage is done.

Lori Reese's team at WonderWoman Construction is currently working on a new build in northeast Minneapolis.

"There's something challenging almost every day we show up," Reese said.

This summer Reese says she's seen her biggest challenge in 10 years.

Each month, rainfall has been significantly above average, and it has rained 51 out of 92 days.

"It's really hard telling the client, 'Here's your schedule. No, here's your schedule.' We are a week behind, now we are two weeks behind, now we are two months behind," Reese said.

She's far from alone. The rain has muddled sites all over the Twin Cities.

Kraus-Anderson does large commercial projects and says they spent much of the summer trying to contain rainwater and are working hard to play catchup.

At Highland Park Senior High School, the football field is out for the season because rain derailed construction.

The hope for builders is that it will be a drier fall because the cooler and darker it gets, the longer it takes to dry out.