Civic Center Drive to Temporarily Close as Rochester Advances Downtown Energy Transition

August 22, 2025 - ROCHESTER, MINN - The City of Rochester and Destination Medical Center (DMC) are rethinking energy use in its downtown buildings with a shift toward cleaner heating and cooling solutions. The City's Downtown Building Energy Transition (DBET) initiative is moving key municipal facilities toward cleaner, more resilient geothermal energy sources while advancing toward Rochester Public Utilities' goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030. This multi-phase project, which began with the successful electrification of City Hall, is now expanding to include other city buildings. Construction on the next phase of the DBET project will begin next week.

The following travel impacts are expected Wednesday, August 27 through Saturday, August 30:

• Civic Center Drive SE between 1 Street SE and 2 Street SE will be completely closed
• No left-hand turns will be allowed from eastbound 2 Street SE onto northbound Civic Center Drive
• Southbound travel lanes on Civic Center Drive will be closed from E Center Street to 1 Street SE
• Sidewalk on both sides of Civic Center Drive SE will be closed from 1 Street SE to 2 Street SE

Click here to view these impacts on a map.

For downtown travel resources, visit: https://www.downtownrochesterconstruction.org

The DBET initiative was prompted by the 2017 announcement that Olmsted County would decommission its downtown steam lines by 2023. Recognizing both the challenge and opportunity, Rochester began exploring geothermal energy as a sustainable alternative.

The first phase of the project retrofitted Rochester's 84,500-square-foot City Hall to operate entirely on geothermal energy, utilizing two high-capacity geothermal wells to provide year-round heating and cooling. The installation was completed within eight months and reached full operational status in 2023, establishing a strong model for future municipal energy projects.

Phase 2 of DBET will establish a thermal energy network connecting the Mayo Civic Center, Rochester Art Center, Rochester Civic Theatre and the Rochester Public Library. Through this system, the facilities will use geothermal-based heating and cooling, allowing the two buildings to exchange energy as their needs change, while keeping natural gas systems only as a backup fuel source.