The decision by the MPO Board to include the inner-city bridge in the 2050 Transportation Plan has not ended the debate over the controversial project.
SRF Consultants are currently working on a scoping analysis for the bridge as well as a Merrifield Road crossing. The company has identified a potential federal grant that could assist in the planning and design process. SRF is willing to submit the application at a cost of nearly $30,000 dollars – split between Grand Forks County….Polk County….East Grand Forks…and Grand Forks.
Grand Forks County agreed this week to chip in $7,101 dollars towards application with the hope of attracting between $175,000 to $16 million dollars.
The placement of the inner-city bridge in the planning document generate an exchange at this week’s Grand Forks council meeting. After a failed motion to drop the project from the 2050 plan – council and MPO member Ken Vien informed the council that he voted in the affirmative. “I did not want to risk the losing of federal transportation funds for all the other projects we have going. We needed to have an approved plan by the MPO.”
Council President Dana Sande says he would have preferred a different approach. “Why did you feel you had to take the vote then? Why not bring it back to the council to discuss further strategies?”
Both Grand Forks and East Grand Forks will review the grant request next week.
The deadline to submit the application is February 28th.
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