Numerous area road construction projects under way; Crews hope to get them completed before winter

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As summer winds down, road construction projects around the Dickinson area are trying to wrap up.

Construction on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 94 between Dickinson and Taylor that began in April is expected to be completed by late fall, said Rob Rayhorn, assistant Dickinson district engineer for the North Dakota Department of Transportation.

He said the road is being reconstructed now from east to west.

“It’s been an all summer project to reconstruct the interstate from dirt to base and pavement, but we haven’t had any setbacks outside of normal construction,” Rayhorn said. “But when it’s over, it should provide drivers with smoother concrete and a better ride.”

Al Heiser, Stark County road superintendent, told the County Commission at its meeting this week that construction on Highway 10 going toward Belfield is about to see the addition of lights to control traffic in the construction zone.

“On Highway 10, as they are working on that project going toward Belfield, they’re setting up lights, like stoplights and instead of having a flag person there, (the lights) are probably going to be running all day, 24 hours a day,” Heiser said. “As far as emergency personnel, they will just have to proceed with caution through there.”

Heiser said he believes the Highway 10 construction is scheduled to be complete by Oct. 15.

“They’re going to have to kick it in high gear,” he said. “They were supposed to start early but didn’t get that early start and, of course, like everything else, they’re really busy.”

Kyle Nieff, public information coordinator for the Highway 22 project, said all projects along Highway 22 are progressing, including the work in Dickinson, north of Dickinson, the roundabout in Killdeer and construction north of Killdeer.

“In Dickinson, we’re paving the city streets up to the bridge and doing work on the curbs, gutters and sidewalk improvements,” he said. “A majority of work in the school area will be done by the time school starts, but if it gets off schedule, we’ll work overtime to get it done.”

After crossing Highway 22 on Friday near the Holiday Station store, Anita Clarke said maneuvering on foot through the construction wasn’t as hard as it looked.

“It wasn’t too hard getting across and I leave in three weeks, so it’s no big deal,” she said. “But, of course, it will be nice when it’s finished.”

It will also be easier for drivers to maneuver through the five-mile stretch of Highway 22 from Dickinson north to the Dunn County line once the road has been widened to five lanes, including a turn lane.

“This will hopefully improve the flow of traffic,” Nieff said. “Traffic coming into town was getting congested because people trying to make left turns would back up traffic driving from the north to the south.”

The construction is scheduled for completion by mid-November.

“We’re on schedule now, but if it snows before then, we hope to be far enough along that it won’t cause problems,” Nieff said. “If we have to, we would get a crew to work around the clock to get the work done as on time as possible.”

Tags: north dakota, road construction, interstate 94, al heiser, news, dickinson, killdeer