Detroit commuters may have noticed the lack of a familiar big white bubble along I-75 at Mack Avenue on Monday morning.
The Lexus Velodrome, an indoor cycle-racing track and entertainment venue, collapsed after high winds caused power outages throughout metro Detroit.
The collapse likely happened early Monday morning following a power outage and failure of a backup generator needed to keep the dome inflated, said Dale Hughes, executive director of the Detroit Fitness Foundation, which is the nonprofit operator of the velodrome.
“The windstorm caused an electrical problem, which caused our backup generator not to kick on, so that’s why it deflated,” Hughes said. “We’ve got a few tears in it.”
The extent of the damage is not yet known. Hughes said maintenance crews will be assessing the damage over the next couple days.
There was nobody inside the dome when it collapsed, Hughes said, and the interior was not damaged.
“My guess is we’ll have to suspend programming for at least a week,” he said.
The Lexus-sponsored velodrome opened in early 2018 to much fanfare as only the second indoor velodrome in the nation. Since then, its open riding and youth programs — the track is free for kids — have become a popular community activity. Operators have also aimed for financial sustainability by diversifying revenue through hosting corporate events and private parties.
The velodrome, which spans 64,000 square feet and is 60 feet high when fully inflated, cost $4.5 million to construct. Hughes said it is the first time the dome, made of two thick layers of tensile fabric, has collapsed.
“This is the first time we’ve ever had any issues,” he said.
Heavy winds across Michigan over the weekend wiped out power to 160,000 DTE Energy customers and 150,000 Consumers Energy customers. More than 23,000 thousand remained without power as of Monday morning. Damage included more than 1,500 downed wires, broken poles and downed trees, according to DTE.