Broadway’s new lanes get attention

Looks can be deceiving.

That's the case with the bump in the west lanes on the North Broadway reconstruction project in Minot, according to the contractor and engineers.

Brekka Kramer, Odney Advertising's public information coordinator for the North Dakota Department of Transportation, said a few people have asked about the uneven appearance of the road surface between Fourth Avenue to the Barley Pop, and even engineers did a double-take after it was poured. In reality, the road is smoother than it looks, she said. The road has been tested at 40 mph and passed the ride requirements.

"Everyone kind of double-checked it, just to make sure," Kramer said.

The road appears uneven because of the design for sewer drainage. The illusion of bumps will decrease once curb and gutter and sidewalk are in and the paving is completed on the east side of Broadway, Kramer said.

Contractors will start paving the remainder of the project, which extends to University Avenue, within a week or two, she said. Traffic could move from the east lanes to the west lanes by the last week in July or early August.

Jill Schramm