Grand Forks County commissioners and county staff said they recently learned a planned Highway 2/County Road 5 (Airport Road) interchange was removed from the state’s transportation improvement program and returned to the planning stage, and they plan to press the North Dakota Department of Transportation to restore or accelerate the project.

County staff said they were told the interchange is no longer listed as a construction item in the TIP and that the project is back in planning. County staff and several commissioners told the commission they believe a roundabout is a more achievable near-term solution and urged meetings with the NDDOT and its consultants.

Nick Ford, a county staff member who briefed the commission, said the project’s status was unclear and that he intends to request a meeting with NDDOT and its consultants when they are in town next month. Ford said he will invite commissioners to attend and asked whether the city would join a joint letter to NDDOT expressing the community’s preference to move sooner on a long-term fix.

“...the roundabout is more achievable and we can achieve that faster,” Ford said, summarizing conversations with the city administrator and the MPO director.

Commissioner Bierke and other commissioners raised the cost and timeline differences between a roundabout and an interchange. Bierke said an interchange could take 10 to 15 years and cost “$75 million to $100 million,” while a one- or two-lane roundabout could be completed sooner with an estimated cost of $8 million to $12 million and the county’s share about $500,000.

Bierke said the county should not accept the TIP change “without a fight” and discussed following up with the DOT chair and, if necessary, the governor’s office. Another commissioner said fatalities at the intersection make an accelerated schedule more urgent.

Ford added that Grand Forks Air Force Base leadership has been tracking the project and that he will follow up with NDDOT and the city administrator, Phelan, to clarify why the item was pulled and to push for a schedule and preferred design.

No formal motion or vote on design preference was recorded at the meeting; the board directed staff to pursue meetings with NDDOT and to consider a joint letter from the county and the city. Commissioners also noted the county has set aside local funds toward the project and said they expect NDDOT to explain the change of status.

The commission did not adopt a final decision on design or funding at the meeting; Ford and commissioners said they will continue outreach to NDDOT, the city, and state leaders and report back to the commission.