Doug Pfau, Minot

A frequent topic of discussion with Minot residents and non-residents is the condition of Minot’s roads, specifically the bumps on these roads.

One of the main causes of these bumpy roads is man-hole covers. They either stick up too high or they are placed too low in relation to the surface of the road.

Take a drive at speed limit speeds to the south end of 16th Street by the YMCA and also 37th Avenue around the Walmart area. There is actually a cover that sticks up about 5 inches at 53rd Avenue SW that has a part of a cutting edge off a Minot road grader.

Also, the new construction on Burdick Expressway has multiple manhole covers that stick up from the surrounding concrete roadway or are substantially below the surrounding road grade.

I have a hard time believing that minimum road construction standards were me with these manhole covers.

My second point is that common sense would indicate that these covers be either in the center of the road OR in the center of the driving lane – not in the wheel tracks of the roadway. This might solve or at least mitigate the effect of uneven manhole covers.

Minot Public Works: Please, please address this issue before and during the upcoming road construction season.