GF working on future road construction plans

Construction is still a ways down the road but the Grand Forks council has added some input into three potential projects.

Members gave preliminary approval this week to the reconstruction of North 4th Street from DeMers to 1st Avenue North.  The layout will not include separated bike lanes that would have raised the project cost by one-million dollars.

The council also tweaked the intersection of 1^st Avenue North at Washington as part of the $11.5 million dollar reconstruction of Washington north and south of the underpass.   Assistant City Engineer David Kuharenko says the intersection will go from full to three-quarter access.  “The three quarter intersection is similar to what you see by Walmart on Columbia.  If you are on the side street you can only turn right.”

The city has also reached a preliminary reimbursement agreement with the state for the planning of a new I-29 interchange at 47^th Avenue South.   The city’s share of the engineering bill will be around $635,000 dollars.