Stimulus funds to help North Dakota roads after flooding
Much of the road damage in the western half of the state is from oil traffic, which has increased in the last few years because of drilling in the Bakken shale rock formation in that part of the state. (Associated Press)
By DAVE KOLPACK
The Associated Press
7/10/2009
FARGO, N.D.— After record spring flooding tore apart roads already battered by oil and farm truck traffic, North Dakota is dividing $105 million in federal stimulus money that it is receiving among nearly 100 projects.
Most of the road and bridge repairs in line for the funding already were on the state's priority list, said Dave Leftwich, a Transportation Department spokesman in Bismarck. Getting the money means many of them will be completed sooner than expected.
"North Dakota has a terrible backlog of roads that need work," said Greg Mayo, of Mayo Construction in Cavalier, whose company is bidding on some of the projects. "This stimulus stuff is going to help them tremendously."
Congress allocated more than $16 billion for road and bridge projects throughout the country. In North Dakota, state officials said they are putting their part of the money toward proposals that could be ready for construction within a couple of months.
The projects include bridge replacements in three counties. The biggest chunk of money, about $19 million, will go toward a 13-mile Interstate 94 paving project. That proposal was scheduled for completion in 2010, but bumped to an October completion date because of the stimulus money.
"When we knew this was coming, we looked at the projects that we could get ready in time to do this," Leftwich said. "We could always use more money for roads, but this will help us hold it all together."
Much of the road damage in the western half of the state is from oil traffic, which has increased in the last few years because of drilling in the Bakken shale rock formation in that part of the state. Roads in eastern North Dakota have taken a beating from trucks heading for ethanol or sugar beet plants.
"I really think the roads have taken more of a beating this year than they ever have," said Jean Martin Broad, a Federal Express driver based in Fargo.
Much of the stimulus money will go toward preventive maintenance, said Kevin Gorder of the state Department of Transportation's Fargo office.
"We're looking at fixing good roads with minor repairs before they become totally destroyed," he said. "It's like what you would do with you car. You want to change your oil routinely to make sure your motor is in good shape."
The stimulus money will help the state "play a little catch-up," said Jon Mielke, a spokesman for the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. "But even if something comes off the shelf, there are always going to be ongoing needs."
Jim Scoville, who has spent three decades as a traveling salesman across North Dakota, said he has learned to navigate around the rough roads.
"When you travel all over, you get to know all the shortcuts and all the roads to avoid," said Scoville, who works for a Fargo container company. "I hope the stimulus makes a difference, but I haven't seen a big improvement yet."
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