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While its award-winning Southwest and Southeast Connector Corridor Study looks for more federal money to proceed to the next phase, Ward County is looking to make inroads on at least a piece of the project.
Ward County Engineer Dana Larsen said his hope is the county will be able to begin design work 2024 on improvements at the intersection of County Road 14 and 17. The North Dakota Department of Transportation has placed the intersection on its schedule for safety improvement funding, with construction anticipated in 2027. However, Larsen said the intent is to have a shovel-ready project in place in event the state program has unspent monies that can be awarded early.
The top alternative to come out of the connector corridor study proposes a roundabout at the intersection.
"We will have to evaluate other options but, more than likely, that's what we would be looking at is a roundabout that would be capable of handling cars and trucks," Larsen said. Public input will be part of the design process.
Larsen told the Ward County Commission Tuesday that although the county wasn't successful in getting safety improvement funding for a county project at County Road 17's intersection with U.S. Highway 2&52, the state is evaluating possible improvements at the intersection as a state project. That project is in preliminary planning.
Ward County also has plans for future improvements along County Road 17 to create a better roadway around the southwest side of Minot and to the new hospital. Larsen said the work can be managed in phases as grants and other funds become available, and it is one of the more affordable pieces of the connector corridor study.
"It's an existing road. We just want to make it safer," he said.
Ward County initiated the connector corridor study to lay a foundation for future roadway connections south of Minot. Southern connections would provide alternative routes to alleviate congestion as Minot grows.
In May, the project received a 2023 Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of North Dakota in the category of studies, research and consulting engineering services. The project stood out for its unique approach, size, challenges and level of public engagement.
The project area covers more than 45 square miles, impacting many stakeholders and requiring large-scale, detailed analyses. The planning effort required analyzing more than 50 combined alternatives in areas with challenging terrain, wetlands, rural neighborhoods and a historic bridge.
The county worked with consultants Bolten & Menk to develop the study report. Additional funding sources are being sought to move the study to the next stage.
County to re-bid embankment repair
The Ward County Commission rejected bids on a wall stabilization project along County Road 10 Tuesday after the lowest bid came in $250,000 over the $150,000 cost estimate.
County Engineer Dana Larsen said an alternative design or repair method will be developed for rebidding.
The road runs next to a cemetery near Des Lacs, where the existing wall protection has been failing. The county budgeted $115,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act toward the project.