Mike Huffington, along with a team of engineers and consultants with Ulteig Engineering, led the presentation of their findings from a study commissioned by the North Dakota Department of Transportation. The $5 million study was funded by the state Legislature in the last session and was partially born from prior public input meetings regarding the addition of passing lanes on the highway in recent years.

“We went through a series of public input meetings for those projects as well. Particularly when we got to Velva and Minot here, we had a lot of comments from the public talking about the passing lanes, saying they’re great, but we really want to see four lanes,” Huffington said.

Huffington said the first phase of the project will conclude in December with the preliminary engineering study, which will be followed by an environmental study through 2025 and the finalization of the design in April 2027.

The two options being considered for a four-lane highway include versions with either a flush median or depressed median. The depressed median option would have a speed limit of 70 miles per hour and would provide an additional level of protection from head-on crashes. A majority of the project would be built without impacting the driving public, according to Huffington, but comes with a higher cost and an increased footprint. The flush median option would have a posted speed limit of 65 miles per hour, come with a smaller footprint, but would have reduced protection from head-on collisions.

Charles Crane/MDN A table shared at the public input meeting based on a study done by Ulteig Engineers shows the six segments of the U.S. Highway 52 project and the estimated costs for the two options being proposed for either a depressed median or a flush median for the four-lane highway. The total estimated cost for the project is between $169 million-$223 million.

The project has been broken down into six project segments, which Huffington said would likely require separate solutions based on various constraints. Huffington said there is no “one-size fits all” solution. The estimated cost of the project was estimated to be between $169 million-223 million depending on the option chosen for each segment.

These factors include the footprint required for both options, existing railroad lines, flood plains, the Velva flood protection levy, cultural sites, snowmobile trails and wildlife which could be impacted by the project. Additional considerations requiring more study, according to Huffington and his team, are landslide borings and an investigation into the soil profile in the river valley between Velva and Minot.

Huffington presented data from a traffic study conducted between September and October of 2024. The daily recorded traffic on the highway’s segments showed 4,925 vehicles between Sawyer and Minot, 3,690 between Sawyer and Velva, and 2,250 between Velva and Voltaire. Huffington said the study found the corridor was one of the more heavily freight trafficked, with the percentage of those numbers representing trucks as 21%, 26% and 32%, respectively.

Huffington noted total crashes recorded in the five year period between 2018-2022 was within the normal range, with a total of 82 crashes with four fatalities. The issue of fatal crashes on Highway 52 was raised by multiple attendees at the meeting, some of whom questioned the traffic study’s findings regarding freight traffic. Huffington welcomed their concerns, saying the public’s desires were the biggest driver for the project finally moving forward despite several calls for the change over the years.

“I know there’s a lot of concerns from people who live in this area about the highway and, unfortunately, the wheels of government and these projects don’t happen as quickly as people would like,” Huffington said. “From a traffic capacity standpoint, this corridor doesn’t scream that it needs four lanes, but obviously it’s become very apparent from the public that has to use this road every day. The public perception is very different from what the numbers say. This isn’t a project driven by traffic. It’s driven by the public.”

Other concerns raised by attendees included the need for a four-lane segment through Velva, which many felt would cause “more trouble than good,” causing complications not only for snow removal but for the existing pedestrian crossings. Huffington said the “do nothing option” was on the table for every one of the segments in the proposal.

Huffington said ground wouldn’t break on the project until 2028 at the earliest.

The information and presentation shared at the meeting are available on the Department of Transportation website. Another public open house is planned for tonight at the Velva Public School Gym at 5 p.m., with a presentation at 6 p.m.