Broadway has long been the epicenter of vehicle traffic in Minot. It’s the busiest roadway in town, and it’s important that the north-south route through the heart of our community remains up-to-date, safe, and efficient.

The ongoing Broadway Corridor Study was created as a comprehensive, in-depth review of Broadway in its entirety, and to discuss potential options for changes. The City is conducting the study in collaboration with the North Dakota Department of Transportation and a consultant team. While the study is being done now, it will be many years before any construction would take place.

The idea of the study is relatively straight-forward: Decide what changes are necessary to provide a safe and efficient transportation route for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Turning that vision into reality is far from simple, however, and will take an enormous amount of study, planning, cooperation, time, and funding before major changes to Broadway can be implemented.

One way to help achieve the study’s goal is to actively seek opinions and information from members of the public; those opinions will help shape the potential changes to Broadway in the future. But it’s vital that residents of Minot share their thoughts on this key stretch of road, and how it can be improved.

I want to encourage everyone to find more information and share your opinions with the City and the State of North Dakota at movingbroadway.com. Comments will be taken through May 17. When we held the initial virtual open house for this project, we received more than 1,200 comments; we hope to collect at least that many again this time.

There is a wealth of information on the site, including videos that highlight key issues along the entire stretch of Broadway. You can read a schedule of milestones in the Broadway study, a summary of existing conditions, and an analysis of potential alternatives. Perhaps more importantly, visitors to the site can take part in a comprehensive survey that provides information on potential changes, and gathers opinions on each of those alternatives. The survey will take only a few minutes to complete, but the information we collect will be vital to the direction this study ultimately takes in the future.

As part of the project, there will be live virtual question-and-answer sessions on May 5 from noon to 1 p.m. regarding Broadway south of 20th Avenue South, and on May 6 from noon to 1 p.m. for Broadway north of 20th Avenue South. You must register in advance at Bethany.brandt@bolton-menk.com to participate.

It’s vital that while we discuss the current state of traffic on Broadway and how drivers access the roadway, but we must also plan for the future. With Minot’s population expected to continue to grow, vehicle traffic numbers are also expected to steadily climb in the coming years. That means Broadway must adapt to maintain its role as the most integral and busiest roadway in our community.

How Broadway should change is the question. The portion of Broadway south of 20th Avenue South is a particular area of concern, as access for pedestrians and bicyclists is virtually non-existent and there are several access and exit points that are troublesome. But how do we alleviate those issues? Do we need an intersection with updated traffic signals? Maybe. Is the solution eliminating some access from frontage roads in favor of backage roads? Perhaps. Would a two-lane roundabout be the safest method to move traffic?

These questions aren’t easy to answer, and that is why we continue to seek public input. We want and need a variety of opinions and ideas before we create potential options. Keep in mind that options created now aren’t necessarily what will actually be constructed years from now. But the process must continue to forge ahead so we’re ready to move forward when the opportunity to make these improvements becomes reality.

Sincerely, City Hall.

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