Though it may sound like a good idea now, the thing project managers must keep in mind when they consider the impact of the proposed Theodore Roosevelt Expressway is what purpose it will serve 10, 20 and 50 years down the road.
The piece-by-piece project would run from Rapid City, S.D. to the Canadian border, passing through Bowman, Amidon and Belfield. The four-lane would run along Highway 85 and is expected to help the state economically.
If created, the expressway would be the northern third of the Great Plains International Trade Corridor, a four-lane highway system that promotes trade and transportation nationally and internationally, supporters say.
It seems such a highway would make a convenient route for semis carrying goods but it is questionable if big-ticket items will still mainly be hauled on the back of semis in 20 years. Will we be putting far too many millions into a new highway system, banking on diesel as a main transportation mode in years to come?
An impact study is expected to take a year and if the project gets the green light it could take years -- and a project director says even decades -- to complete.
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"Our mission is to promote the energy and agriculture benefits of trade to our corridor here in North Dakota," said Cal Klewin, Expressway Association director.
If this expressway was already paved, there would no doubt be economic benefits to cities along the route. Those using the system would be stopping for gas, food, goods and a bed to sleep in. But it is going to be years and years before the first earth mover gets fired up.
And while North Dakota is amid an oil boom now which keeps many truck drivers on the road, no one knows if this will last. No one also knows if diesel rigs are going to be the hauling method decades from now.
Fifty grand is being spent on a corridor study. Spend it, but let's be sure we know where this road could take those paying for it. Let's make sure it is done right.
A series of public meetings will be held in Belfield and Bowman in May, with dates yet to be determined, and citizens have until May 7 to make their views known on the proposal.
Residents need to be informed, need to attend these meetings and need to let their thoughts be known. Project information is available at www.trexpressway.com .
-- Dickinson Press Editorial Board members meet weekly to discuss issues that are important to the community.
