North Dakota Road Construction: The Unveiling of Massive Plans

Residents in the Upper Midwest often joke that we only have two seasons: winter and road construction. It seems to be the case every year and for commuters between Williston and Watford City and the west side of North Dakota, this statement will be more than true. That’s because the state department of transportation unveiled its construction program for 2013 last month–a massive road-construction project with an equally massive price tag.

The project will expanded U.S. Highway 85 to four lanes between Williston and Watford City and is expected to cost the state $878 million–the largest in the state’s history. But just like in years past, concerns for driver and construction worker safety are on the forefront of everyone’s minds.

An estimated 12,000 vehicles drive the 45 mile stretch each day, most of them large trucks and semis. This is where a majority of the concern falls. “It’s going to be even more dangerous,” explains Watford City Mayor Brent Sanford who understands that the risk of vehicle accidents is high for both motorists as well as the construction workers themselves.

Last year, the state saw 257 crashes in work zones, two of which ended in fatality. It’s unknown how many of these accidents involved workers, but as readers of our blog would be correct to assume, these accidents never end well for the worker involved. Injuries sustained in these types of accidents are often exacerbated when motorists don’t reduce their speed and are otherwise negligent in work zones.

In an effort to keep construction workers safe during this project, the North Dakota Highway Patrol announced that three new patrols would be added to McKenzie County which might be the needed motive for driver’s to change their behavior in construction zones this summer.

Source: The Dickinson Press, “Dalrymple: Caution urged during North Dakota’s largest road construction season ever,” Amy Dalrymple, May 30, 2013.