Expect more road construction impacts starting in July in Grand Forks
Jul. 1—GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks likely will see additional impacts to traffic starting after the Fourth of July as more projects begin work.
There are already lane closures and construction occurring
on the Washington Street underpass and on 32nd Avenue South. After the Fourth of July, additional projects —
like the reconstruction
of the intersection of Belmont Road and Fifth Street and the rehabilitation of the Columbia Road overpass — are scheduled to begin, impacting more major north-south corridors in the city.
Work on
32nd Avenue South will finish its first phase
before the Fourth of July and there should be minimal traffic impacts during the holiday weekend before work begins again, according to the city of Grand Forks' engineering department. The project is a continuation of last year's rehabilitation project with a concrete panel and a chip-seal occurring to prolong the life of the road. Crews have been replacing concrete panels on the street and will begin work at the intersections of 31st Street and 38th Street in July, but that work is set to mainly occur at night minimizing impacts during peak traffic hours.
The
Washington Street underpass
will continue to see traffic impacts throughout the rest of the summer and into November. However, there may be additional traffic pattern changes until then as crews progress through the project and paving begins. The construction zone is between DeMers Avenue and First Avenue North, but there are traffic pattern changes at the intersection of DeMers Avenue and Washington Street.
Work is scheduled to begin on the Belmont Road and Fifth Street intersection after the Fourth of July in downtown Grand Forks. The city is reconstructing the intersection into a mini-roundabout. Given the moniker "Confusion Corner" because of the traffic patterns and odd geometry, the construction of the roundabout will mean the intersection will be completely closed for a substantial portion of the rest of the summer.
Lane closures on the Columbia Road Overpass will also likely start in mid-July as the city and the North Dakota Department of Transportation begin a rehabilitation of the structure. The 40-year-old structure needs repairs. The rehabilitation is expected to be two years, with a complete closure of the overpass expected next summer.
The Near Southside mill and overlay is also expected to begin work at the end of June. The project is expected to be fairly quick but there will be traffic impacts when crews are milling the old pavement and installing new pavement. Crews with first do the north-south streets and then do the east-west streets. During the process, there will be no on-street parking and each road closure should only last a day. The project will be complete by July 13 depending on weather.
