Kim Fundingsland/MDN Construction continued in December on the Broadway pump station that is part of the on-going flood control project in Minot.

The massive Souris River flood control project dominated the construction scene in Minot in 2019. Pump stations, flood walls and other necessary aspects of the multi-phase project were visible sites of activity throughout the year.

“We got a good jump on the first three phases of flood protection,” said Dan Jonasson, Minot public works director. “We made a lot of progress on the water treatment plant expansion. We’ll be wrapping that up in the spring. It’ll be good to have that done.”

Work continued in December at the Broadway pumping station located immediately west of the Broadway Bridge. The location is a focal point for on-going flood control work in the city that was highly visible in 2019.

“The flood control work is a huge part of what’s been going on,” said Jonasson. “There’s about $80 million going on with the three phases.”

While work will continue as much as possible this winter at the Broadway pumping station, work is also being done along Fourth Avenue, primarily east of Broadway. Additional flood control work is scheduled for 2020.

“Burlington work will be let out for bids in the spring,” said Jonasson. “We’ll continue working a design for Tierrecita Vallejo, which will be for view in the spring and for bids in 2020. We are finishing up acquisition. It’s a rural project but it benefits the city with a tie-back on the western part of the river.”

Almost lost in the shadow of flood control work has been a myriad of other projects engaged in by the city. Those include “a lot of general maintenance projects and storm sewer rehab work,” said Jonasson. In addition was about $4 million spent on street rehabilitation that is part of yearly maintenance in the city.

Lance Meyer, city engineer, said the main take-away from 2019 construction in the city was that “a lot of infrastructure got done.” Several sections of concrete panels on Broadway that had become broken and rough due to heavy traffic flow were replaced, resulting in a much smoother roadway for motorists.

Unfortunately, said Meyer, the weather brought a halt to the Broadway project before it was completed. The good news is that only about three blocks of the project remain. Completion is expected by mid-June of 2020.

“It’s going to be a busy construction year ahead,” remarked Meyer. “One of the largest projects in 2020 will be reconstruction along 31st Avenue Southeast with a round-about put in at 13th Street. It’s a little over a mile from 13th to Broadway.”

Work on a trunk sewer line is part of the project as well.

“Add it all up and it will take all summer. It will be a heck of a project,” stated Meyer.

Two other major construction projects in the city are set to get underway in 2020. One of them will take place within the storm sewer assessment district south of Dakota Square Mall. Flooding has been an issue at the intersection of 10th Street and 31st Avenue.

“We’ll replace 10th Street, which is in very poor condition around 32nd and 34th avenue,” said Meyer. “It’ll be a nice improvement when all that work is done.”

As part of the project the traffic signal lights at 31st Avenue and 10th Street, immediately southeast of Dakota Square, will be removed. The outdated lights were installed more than 10 years ago as temporary signals.

“The equipment is old and we can’t find replacement parts,” said Meyer. “The volume of traffic is such that they are not really needed and modern traffic signals are a quarter of a million dollars apiece. 31st Avenue will be a through street and 10th will have stop signs.”

The last of three major projects to get underway in 2020, said Meyer, was the replacement of the aging retaining wall that is partially around City Hall. The sloped wall has outlived its lifespan and is no longer considered stable.

“It’s eroding underneath and really doesn’t have any strength to it. We’ll build a vertical wall. It’s sloped now,” explained Meyer. “It’ll go out for bids in January, maybe February, with a May through September construction time frame. It’s 1,300 feet of wall.”

A bonus for the city is that going from a sloped wall to a vertical one will add about 15 feet of space to the existing parking lot where the wall is today. That means the creation of more parking spots in an area where parking has been at a premium for many years.

“That’s the topping on the ice cream, not really why we are doing it,” remarked Meyer.