Zone: South
Project: 13th Avenue Reconstruction Project
Beginning this week, Thursday, April 26 at 5 a.m., contractors for the 13th Avenue Road Reconstruction and Infrastructure Improvement Project will begin the first phase between 45th Street South in Fargo to 12th Street East in West Fargo. This work zone will be active until October 2018.
Access and use of 13th Avenue will remain open with at least one lane of traffic plus turning lanes open in both eastbound and westbound directions. Short-term intersection closures will occur in each phase.
For the first 2 – 3 weeks, crews will begin construction activity in the center of the roadway. The inside driving lane next to the median will be closed in each direction. Traffic will become reduced and shift to the outside driving lanes.
Business access will be maintained, and access will continue from current side streets. As the project progresses, there will be multiple shifts in traffic control to where motorists will experience new driving lanes open, temporary reduce lanes and short-term intersection closures.
TRAFFIC CONTROL/ACCESS CHANGES
Traffic control for the next 2 – 3 weeks in both directions:
- Traffic will be carried on the outside through lanes and remain on the respective side of travel
- Inside driving lane next to the center median will close
- Turn lanes will remain open
- Surrounding side streets will be accessible
Access changes for the next 2 – 3 weeks in both direction:
- Intermittent Intersection Closures: In this phase, 13th Avenue intersections of 50th Street, and 47th Street will only be closed for a few days at a time when construction activities are taking place to remove the three-quarter medians found in the center of the road. All other intersections will remain open at all times.
- Sidewalks Closed: North to south pedestrian crossing will be at 9th or 45th Streets. Pedestrians traveling through the work zone will need to access and sidewalks on the side streets to travel safely throughout.
“We know easy access to commerce and favorite businesses will be the largest concern of the public throughout the construction,” said Jeremy Gorden, Transportation Division Engineer for City of Fargo. “We have a plan to minimize the access point disruptions during construction so that if one is temporarily closed, the next access point will remain open.”
The project work will include the construction of a new 6-lane roadway in Fargo and 3-lane westbound and 2-lane eastbound roadway in West Fargo, as well as above and below ground infrastructure improvements from 45th Street South in Fargo to 12th Street East in West Fargo (approximately 1 mile). Project work includes: concrete paving, curb and gutter, shared-use path, city utilities, street lights and traffic signal improvements.
“We encourage drivers to use alternative routes for their east-west driving on alternative area roads in this heavily travel stretch of roadway,” said Chris Brungardt, West Fargo Public Works Director. “There are a number of parallel routes to help minimize delays and potential congestion in the construction zone on 13th Avenue. The roadway is being widened in both cities to accommodate our growth.”
The purpose of the project is to replace aging infrastructure, with a goal of improving both pedestrian and vehicular safety and increasing roadway capacity through the area.
The anticipated phase schedule is:
- Phase 1 completion – Early May
- Phase 2 completion – End of June
- Phase 3 completion – Middle of September
- Phase 4 completion – Middle of October
- 45th Street intersection pavement repairs – Approximately 3 weeks in June
- Project completion – Middle of October (100% traffic open)
Congestion may be worse during peak travel times, Monday – Saturday afternoons.
The project is 100% locally funded with City of Fargo’s portion funded by combination of local utility, infrastructure sales tax, and special assessments, and City of West Fargo’s portion funded by sales tax funds and special assessments. The total construction cost is approximately $8.8 million.
**Please remember all schedules are tentative and weather dependent.