North Dakota's US 85 Expansion: I-94 Interchange to Watford City Bypass

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Contributors:
  Linneman, Matt ; Brodie, Kevin
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Highway Corridors Highway Safety Interchanges Traffic Safety
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-SA-22-046
• Resource Type:
  Brief
• Right Statement:
  Public Domain
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; North Dakota
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Abstract:
  North Dakota’s US Highway 85 (US 85) expansion project is an example of how State departments of transportation (DOTs) can proactively address emerging system needs through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and incorporate safety and minimize environmental impacts (figure 1). In the early 2010’s, North Dakota experienced an economic boom as a result of the expansion of the oil and gas industry in the western part of the State. This economic engine spurred population and traffic growth (including heavy truck traffic) throughout North Dakota, but these impacts have strained rural communities and their transportation infrastructure. The US 85 project corridor in western North Dakota is a two-lane major arterial connection between Watford City, the county seat of McKenzie County to the north, and Interstate 94 (I-94) in Belfield to the south. The context is highly rural, predominantly surrounded by cropland and pastureland, with two unincorporated communities located along the corridor. The corridor is also surrounded by public land managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the United States Forest Service (USFS). Two notable natural areas include the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP)—North Unit and the Little Missouri Badlands and National Grasslands. Limited network connectivity underscores the rural nature of US 85 in this part of the State. North Dakota Highway 200 (ND-200) is the only paved connection along US 85 between Watford City and I-94 (figure 2), and it is a primary example of how societal concerns and economic changes in the State necessitated a major project. Key points along the corridor required upgrades specifically to accommodate the increase in truck traffic. The Long X Bridge is a historic structure that spans the Little Missouri River and is a bottleneck based on its low vertical (i.e., overhead) clearance (figure 3). Although detours for over-height vehicles exist (albeit an additional 50 miles of highway travel one-way), there were 7 bridge strikes by over-height trucks between 2011 and 2019, often resulting in major closures. As a result, the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) proposed to widen the 62-mile corridor of US 85 and replace the Long X Bridge to meet the needs of growing and shifting traffic patterns on this economically critical connection.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9845361eecab38fb0f2641cd2ebfb87a6dd74c01b0d488dc669173cbf374a385f941f4e9070aef4932c201c0af7c8bf154c3df8530cb877bee4d1a76f4a5148e
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/88249/dot_88249_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.01 MB ]