CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Alliant Energy will remove the massive switch boxes installed without warning earlier this month in northwest Cedar Rapids, after neighbors raised concerns.
Spokeswoman Melissa McCarville said the equipment, called pad mounted switchgear, “was part of a necessary project to relocate energy assets, prompted by the growing needs of Cedar Rapids’ west side.”
“However, in response to community concerns, Alliant Energy decided to remove the switchgear and replace it with junction cabinets, which are about one-third the size and have a lower profile and height,” McCarville wrote in an email. “While the new junction cabinets will not offer the same system reliability or switching capabilities as the switchgear, they will fulfill the essential need of providing a single power source.”
Two of the green metal boxes, measuring more than 7-by-7-feet long and wide and nearly 6 feet tall, were installed Sept. 24, 2025, in the residential neighborhood along F Avenue NW.
The utility boxes included signs warning about the risk of death. Almost immediately, young children could be seen playing around the boxes after they were installed in the city right-of-way in front of their home.
Warning signs were included on the utility boxes installed in northwest Cedar Rapids. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Workers installing the equipment and city officials said the equipment was needed, at least in part, to power the new $275 million casino being built blocks away along Fourth Street NW between F and G avenues near the riverfront.
A Cedar Crossing Casino representative said Alliant previously confirmed that existing service has adequate power to support the casino when it opens, adding that Alliant plans to build a substation in the area, intended as a back-up and to serve the surrounding community and the casino.
Neighbors started a petition drive asking for a different solution, citing health and safety concerns, obstructed views for motorists along F Avenue, lower property values and the appearance of blight in their neighborhood.
McCarville did not answer questions about why the neighbors were not notified in advance, noting that the equipment was chosen “as the best engineering practice for maintaining underground system reliability, allowing to switch between multiple power sources and enabling quicker energy restoration during emergencies.”
“We anticipate switchgear will be needed in the near future and Alliant Energy will collaborate with the community and the City of Cedar Rapids to identify a suitable location at that time,” she wrote.
More: Neighbors protest massive utility boxes installed without warning
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