Dickinson endorses bypass route

• Commission

Dickinson Police Department Officer Jeremy Moser addresses the Dickinson City Commission after receiving two awards honoring him at Monday night’s meeting for helping save a man from a burning trailer the evening of Jan. 4. Moser received the North Dakota Peace Officers Association Bravery Award and a Mayor Commendation Award. Also receiving commendation awards were citizens Presley Pizzie, Robin Nunley and Casey Pelson.

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Construction for a bypass around Dickinson may begin as soon as this summer, drawing travelers wishing to move from Interstate 94 to Highway 22 north away from the city and Third Avenue West.

The Dickinson City Commission voted to endorse a bypass route that travels along 33rd Street Southwest where it meets with Highway 22 until it meets with 116th Avenue where it meets Interstate 94, with an intermediate connection at 113th Avenue Southwest at its regular meeting Monday evening at City Hall.

“The (North Dakota Department of Transportation), on a conference call, has asked us to endorse one of these options so that they can proceed with letting the design and bid of these projects,” City Administrator Shawn Kessel said. “The timing is they’d like to bid these this year so construction can start yet this year.”

All routes presented to the Commission had the same connection points to I-94 and Highway 22, but meandered through the countryside using different curvatures. The one selected, named Dickinson Bypass Alternative 5a, moves west from Highway 22 almost until 116th Avenue, taking about a 1/2 mile to complete its southward curve.

“This one has the least amount of property impacts, the least amount of wetlands impacts, it may be the best route,” Kessel said.

The others fell south sooner and had three curves, versus one with the endorsed route, Commissioner Gene Jackson said.

NDDOT would like to bid the truck reliever route, 113th Avenue, in May and start construction shortly after, he said. It is going for a bid date of July with construction shortly after for the new interstate exchange at 116th Avenue. The route itself would not be constructed until 2015.

“It primarily runs along section lines so you’re not cutting into people’s properties or into their homes,” Commissioner Klayton Oltmanns said of the endorsed route. “You’re going along a route that is semi-already there.”

The route is intended to be a high-speed road, traveling at 65 mph, Kessel said. Third Avenue through Dickinson allows travel speeds of 25 to 45 mph.

The chosen route was the most expensive, but not significantly higher than the others, he said.

“The majority of the costs of these projects will be borne by the state of North Dakota,” Kessel said. The city will be responsible for a small portion of the cost of the project.

The interstate exchange is projected to cost between $20 million and $25 million, he said.

“You’re talking about 8 miles — over 8 miles of roadway on the bypass and an additional 2½ miles of road on the reliever route,” Kessel said. “This is a very expensive project.”

The Commission voted unanimously to endorse the route.

In other news:

The Commission unanimously voted to remove a tax credit that allows buyers of new homes to remove $100,000 in the taxable value of their home for two years. It was originally designed to generate growth in the housing market.

There were no dissenters from the public.

Tags: city commission, news, dickinson, local