JILL SCHRAMM/MDN Traffic moves along on Third Street Southeast Wednesday. The V-intersection with Front Street and Second Avenue, at right, is to be reconfigured into a single road as part of the Third Street project, which involves roadway reconstruction and reduction in lanes to three. The first segment to be built next year runs from Front/Second, across the railroad tracks to Central Avenue, where the traffic signals shown will be updated.

Engineers were given the go-ahead from the Minot City Council Monday, March 2, to design a three-lane roadway in the reconstruction of Third Street East.

Apex Engineering Group, which is managing the project, laid out alternatives for Third Street that proposed new lane configurations, pedestrian friendly features and streetscaping over a six-block area from First Avenue Northeast to Fifth Avenue Southeast, and a portion of Central Avenue, in downtown Minot.

Construction would occur in two segments, with the northern segment planned for 2027. The south segment that runs past the county administration building and Courthouse is not expected to be constructed until 2029 at the earliest.

Features of the project include new concrete pavement, storm sewer upgrades, sanitary sewer and watermain replacement, pedestrian signal system replacement and traffic signal modifications. The Third Street Bridge is not part of the project.

“When we have a project like that – we need to reconstruct everything in the pavement and the utilities – it gives us a good opportunity to look at everything within the corridor,” Apex project engineer Matt Kinsella told the council. “A few things that jumped out right away with this corridor is the lack of dedicated left turn lanes.”

The lack of left turn lanes was important to community members who filled out a survey last August. The engineer’s preferred option calls for a three-lane roadway with the center lane as a left turn lane, rather than a four-lane roadway with no dedicated left turn lane. Community members attending a public open house last November also favored the three-lane concept, Kinsella said.

Recommended intersection bulbouts at Central and Third also posed a concern for some council members. Bulbouts shorten the pedestrian distance between curbs, which additionally helps with signal timing. They also provide extra space for new traffic signals proposed at that intersection.

The Central Avenue intersection signal has been shown to be unwarranted, based on the manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices. However, options such as a roundabout or stop signs at Central have drawbacks that have prompted engineers to work with the North Dakota Department of Transportation to justify recommending a signal remain at that intersection.

Council member Rob Fuller mentioned drawbacks of bulbouts, such as interfering with snow removal.

“Is that something that we really want to do? Because there’s been so much complaining about how they look,” he said of other downtown bulbouts.

Council member Scott Samuelson added he is not a fan of bulbouts. Observing the truck traffic and street cleaning downtown, he said, “I think it’s an obstacle.”

City Engineer Lance Meyer said the bulbout illustrations provided to the council are maximum size. As the design process continues, it will be necessary to ensure delivery trucks can make the curves and street sweepers and other pieces of equipment can get in and do their jobs, resulting in the bulbout size likely being trimmed back, he said.

However, he said, issues such as public safety and space for ramps and new signals that are about twice the diameter of the old ones also must be considered.

“When we look at it from an engineering standpoint, there’s always trade-offs in these designs,” he said.

The council voted 6-1, with dissent from Fuller, to accept the recommendations of the engineers, which include a three-lane roadway with the center lane for left turns. Recommendations also include reconfiguring Front Street/Second Avenue by the Minot Fire Station into a single roadway; a shared use path of 8-10 feet on the west side of Third Street; new traffic signal and bulbouts at Central and Third; and retention of on-street parking lanes.

Kinsella also assured the council that engineers plan to be in conversations with business owners in that area to mitigate impacts from construction and provide continued access.

“That is a focus for us,” he said of access. “It’s going to be a mandate.”

He said alternative access routes are being explored as well.