By: Matt Krause – Project Manager
Cedar Rapids is gearing up for one of the largest economic developments in its history as QTS launches a massive new data center campus within the Big Cedar Industrial Center. Spanning an impressive 612 acres, the project represents a potential investment of up to $10 billion—a landmark commitment poised to reshape the region’s technological and economic landscape.
The master plan envisions a sprawling campus supporting up to seven state-of-the-art data center buildings. Ground has already been broken on the first structure, marking the beginning of what promises to be a multi-year buildout of advanced digital infrastructure.
To bring this ambitious vision to life, Frattalone has been hired by Lithko Contracting to handle the extensive excavation work required for most of the buildings. The scale is formidable: as much as 6,000 linear feet of footing excavation per building, more than 500 building pad foundations, and an additional 500 mechanical yard pads to accommodate the water-cooling systems and electrical transformers essential to data center operations.
Despite the demanding schedule, progress is well underway. Under the leadership of Mike Thill, the excavation team has already completed work on two of the seven planned buildings. With winter settling in, activity is expected to taper until conditions improve, with excavation projected to ramp back up in Spring 2026.
