The flood protection project accounted for more than $142 million of the total. Overall, residents and visitors had more than the usual construction activity to navigate around.

“Our largest challenge this year was coordinating all of the construction activities through various parts of the city,” City Engineer Lance Meyer said. “We had several major projects that had to be constructed at the same time due to the timing of federal funds, our short construction season and our need to replace old failing infrastructure. Our traffic engineer, project managers and consultants worked hard to adjust timings of signals, coordinate detour routes, and communicate with project stakeholders the best we could during this challenging summer.”

There were 13 projects under the direction of the Engineering Department. The city invested $11 million into infrastructure through the Engineering Department, compared to $8 million in 2024. That $11 million leveraged additional state and federal dollars for a total construction value of $43.14 million.

“In 2026, we will have several projects continuing from 2025. Those include the flood control project, Puppy Dog Coulee storm project, which will affect 24th Avenue and 16th Street Southwest, and some minor work activities at the US 2/83 interchange from the culvert replacement project,” Meyer said.

Submitted Photo Workers lay a new concrete roadway on West Burdick as part of the 16th Street Southwest and Burdick intersection construction this past summer. Photo from the City of Minot.

“In 2026, we will also have several street maintenance projects taking place,” he added. “Those include First Avenue Southwest behind Town & Country mall, the frontage road in front of Schatz Crossroads, and some maintenance work on South Broadway, south of the interchange. Other mill and overlay and street sealing will occur throughout town as well, but not as numerous as 2025 due to a reduction of the street maintenance budget.”

The Public Works Department oversaw $153.63 million in construction in 2025, most of which related to flood control. However, $11.49 million was allocated to a variety of other projects, including water main replacements and sanitary sewer work.

The 2025 projects included jetting and clearing sewer and inserting new liner in sanitary sewer in southwest Minot from Main Street to Seventh Avenue Southwest between 11th and 16th avenues, in addition to smaller repairs in various locations. Total cost was $730,343, with Hydro-Klean as contractor.

There were four water main replacement projects at the following locations:

– Westfield Avenue, First Avenue Southwest and 22nd and 25th Streets Southwest. The $4.77 million project had Dig It Up Backhoe Service as prime contractor.

Submitted Photo A group of project officials do a walk-through on Sept. 30 of a box culvert installed in the Puppy Dog Coulee storm sewer project at Dakota Square. Photo from The City of Minot.

– University Avenue from Eighth Street to 16th Street Northwest. Knife River was the main contractor for the nearly $4 million project.

– Second Avenue Southwest from 30th Street to First Avenue, costing $1.65 million, with work performed under the lead of Wagner Construction.

– Alley west of Seventh Street Southwest from West Central Avenue to Second Avenue Southwest. Cost was $334,00 and the prime contractor was Post Construction.

Three flood control projects were underway in 2025.

Wagner Construction headed up the MI-5 project along Railway Avenue from Third Street to 13th Street Northeast, which involved $54.15 million in utility reroutes, street construction and construction of floodwall, levee and a storm water pump station.

Park Construction had the contract for the MI-6 project along the Souris River from the Third Street Bridge to the Roosevelt Park area. The $52.82 million project included utility reroutes, a seepage trench, floodwall, levee, street construction and a storm water pump station.

The MI-7 segment led to closure of the Roosevelt Park swimming pool for public safety reasons. The work contracted to Wagner Construction included a seepage trench, levee, flood wall and utility and zoo exhibit relocations, totaling $35.17 million of work through the park and zoo grounds.

Projects under the Engineering Department’s management for the year included the $11.24 million first segment of 16th Street Southwest reconstruction, from Burdick Expressway to 14th Avenue Southwest. Park Construction Co. led that project, which added new concrete pavement, storm sewer, detention ponds, an 11th Avenue signal, LED lighting and a shared use path.

Wagner Construction was prime contractor on the $19.68 million Puppy Doug Coulee storm sewer district around Dakota Square Mall, which involved installation of new concrete box culverts.

Pavement replacement, cement stabilization and ADA improvements were made along:

– Foothills Road, Woodside Drive, 11th Street, 32nd Avenue, 33rd Avenue and 33rd Court, all in southeast Minot, costing $1.93 million, and contracted to Keller Paving & Landscaping.

-16th Street, Ninth Street, 12th Street, 13th Street, Gold Court and North Broadway frontage road in northwest Minot, costing $2.17 million and contracted to Keller.

– 13th Street Southwest, 10th Avenue Northwest and 25th Street Northwest, costing $1.18 million and contracted to Minot Paving.

Other street projects included $2.8 million in street sealing around the city; $732,614 in microsurfacing on 20th Avenue Southwest and Southeast; $320,000 in street striping; $849,825 in street patching around the city; and sidewalk, curb and gutter repairs of $524,380 in the Polaris Park neighborhood and various other locations.

Traffic signal improvements were made along Broadway at 20th Avenue Northwest, 36th Avenue Northwest and the U.S. 83 Bypass as well as on Burdick at 27th Street Southeast and Eighth Avenue Southeast at a total cost of $818,011.

An $847,066 Washington Safe Routes to School project provided new sidewalk and ADA ramps along 17th and 18th Avenues Southwest and from Southeast Broadway to Second Street.

NDDOT invests in Minot area

The North Dakota Department of Transportation completed a $4.2 million installation of a box culvert in the area of the U.S. Highway 83 interchange with U.S. Highway 2/52 this past construction season.

The department continues to work on an overheight detection project at the 16th Street Southwest bridge over U.S. 2/52. The detection project would add a warning message system to alert drivers when their vehicles or loads exceed the height limit in an attempt to avert incidents with the bridge, such as have happened in the past, said Chad Beggs with the NDDOT Minot office. That project is expected to be completed this winter.

Beggs said 2026 will bring additional NDDOT paving projects to the Minot region.

Paving projects are planned on the southbound lanes of Highway 83 from Minot to Lake Sakakawea. One project will extend from south of Minot to N.D. Highway 23 and the other from Max to the Snake Creek Embankment at Lake Sakawea. A project from Lake Sakakawea to Highway 23 will impact the northbound lanes. Beggs said the hope is to coordinate the projects to allow traffic to continue uninterrupted on single lanes where construction is occurring.

A $14 million paving project will affect travelers on U.S. Highway 52 from N.D. Highway 14, west of Drake, to Fessenden, about 45 miles. Flaggers and pilot cars will guide traffic through areas of construction.

Additional work is planned on Highway 2 from Towner to Berwick and possibly from Surrey to Granville, depending on funding availability.