Jill Schramm/MDN A vehicle passes through the Burdick and Eighth Avenue intersection by the North Dakota State Fairgrounds Tuesday. The intersection can be busy during fairgrounds events.

Traffic signals should remain at a Burdick Expressway intersection that only comes to life with fairgrounds activity but does so with gusto, the Minot City Council concluded Monday.

The council agreed to send a letter of justification to the North Dakota Department of Transportation to keep signals at the East Burdick Expressway and Eighth Avenue Southeast intersection between the Clarion Hotel and North Dakota State Fairgrounds in the Highway Safety Improvement Program.

In 2022, the City of Minot received a Highway Safety Improvement Program grant to make upgrades related to left turn signals, yellow arrows and pedestrian signals at 26 intersections. The NDDOT found 10 of the intersections did not carry traffic volumes warranting the improvements, but only two were recommended for signal removal, according to city information.

Those intersections were at North Broadway and Fifth/Sixth Avenue and on East Burdick at Eighth Avenue.

City Traffic Engineer Stephen Joerz explained the city could choose to remove the intersections from the grant program and leave them as they are today. Alternatively, the city could request to go ahead with the program improvements, but the local cost share would increase from 5% to 50%. A third option would be to remove the signals, which was the NDDOT and staff recommendation for both intersections.

The council approved removing the signal at Broadway and Fifth/Sixth Avenue at a city cost-share of $1,350. The engineering department had indicated in a memo that signal removal would improve traffic flow on North Broadway.

Joersz said a public meeting on the Burdick/Eighth Avenue signal removal last fall drew opposition from the State Fair, Verendrye Electric and Minot Soccer Association, which hold events at the fairgrounds. Despite that, the NDDOT and staff recommendation continued to call for removal. However, the DOT recommended flashing pedestrian signals be installed and conversion of the intersection from a two-way to a four-way stop during special events at the fairgrounds.

“Especially with multiple lanes in both directions, as well as a turn lane left from the hotel side, I don’t see a four way doing real well,” council member Mike Blessum said.

Temporary signals were mentioned as an option but that could be costly over time.

“There are many times when it is needed,” council member Scott Samuelson said of the traffic signals. “I don’t know how, with a four way stop or portable lights, it would do the trick.”

He cited, in particular, the heavy traffic during the State Fair and on Sundays during car racing events.

The council voted 7-0 to leave the signals in place and in the safety program.

The decision to keep the signals comes with an estimated city cost share of $16,750 in the safety program. Staff noted keeping the signals means additional improvement costs will be incurred in the near future because the intersection will be included in a proposed cabinet and video upgrade project and possible repainting.