Jill Schramm/MDN Surveyors measure a manhole July 31 in gathering information on utilities during preliminary work necessary for the design of the MI-8 phase of the flood protection project.

The Burdick Expressway bridge near the zoo will shift slightly to the south under a phase of the flood protection project that’s beginning to get attention.

Surveying work has been taking place to gather information before design work starts on phase MI-8. The phase consists of a larger bridge to replace the existing bridge that carries Burdick Expressway traffic over the Souris River in southeast Minot.

Jason Sorenson, director of Utilities for the City of Minot, said survey crews have been conducting borings to assess soil stability and identify utilities that could require relocation.

With construction at least a few years down the road yet, preliminary work is underway to turn the concept for MI-8 into a buildable plan.

The new location for the bridge and the amount of property that will need to be acquired will be determined during the design phase, which could begin next year.

“We have design funding in place so they can go ahead and start designing right away,” Sorenson said.

A public meeting will be held once the design is completed. Although the meeting will be largely informational, Sorenson said, public input could lead to some tweaks before the project goes to bid.

State funding will be a primary factor influencing when construction on MI-8 starts, he said. The Legislature has pledged $76.1 million per biennium. However, actual future appropriations, the impact of inflationary factors and the need to complete other aspects of flood protection will impact the timetable for MI-8. For instance, the Maple Diversion in west Minot is in line for funding and construction first.

Completion of the ongoing construction north of the Souris River along with the Maple Diversion project would complete the flood project’s Milestone 1, protecting 60% of the city.

Milestone 2 consists of MI-6 through MI-9. The MI-6 and MI-7 phases at Roosevelt Park and the zoo are ready to build. MI-7 was rebid after costs came in 50% over engineer estimates. The Souris River Joint Board recently awarded bids for MI-7 after adjusting the construction timeline, Sorenson said. That helped reduce the cost by about $11 million, leaving that phase about 23% over its estimate

Sorenson said MI-6 also is to be rebid. Original bids came in 40% over engineering estimates.

Meanwhile, the city has begun property acquisitions for MI-9, which consists of a tieback levee.

Sorenson said the city likely has acquired adequate property east of the proposed new bridge for the MI-8 phase. More property may be needed west of the bridge, but specifics will depend on the final design.

“We saw a bunch of alternatives and there’s a lot of things to consider as we work through that,” Sorenson said. “We saw some preliminary concepts that all have different levels of acquisition. So, once we make up our mind on what we think the best alternative is, then we’ll start moving toward acquisitions.”

Among decisions to be made is whether to move and incorporate the existing bridge into a new bridge or simply remove it and build an entirely new bridge on the south side of the existing site. The original, high-level, concept called for a new bridge with higher clearance over the river to avoid closure in an event the size of the 2011 flood. The new bridge also will be about twice as long to span the proposed river channel improvements. Road alignments will be necessary to connect Burdick Expressway with the new bridge.

The advantage in building an entirely new bridge is the existing bridge could remain in place during the construction, with traffic shifting to the new bridge once construction is complete, Sorenson said.

Also to be answered is whether the flood wall should be extended from the zoo or if conditions will be suitable to go with the less expensive option of levees to connect with the bridge.

Due to all the questions still to be answered, Sorenson said the timeframe for constructing and finishing MI-8 is uncertain.

“It’s in its infancy, but we’re going to start the design and get moving on it,” he said.