Moorhead to rehab neighborhood streets, replace ADA ramps and some water mains starting summer 2025

Clay Luxon, a city engineer for the City of Moorhead, presented details of a proposed neighborhood street rehabilitation project slated to begin in the summer of 2025 that would fully replace pavement on several blocks, upgrade pedestrian ramps to meet ADA standards and include water-main replacements on River Drive South.

The project matters because the streets in the area were built in the 1950s and 1960s and have only received intermittent maintenance; the city says the work is part of its pavement management program and is intended to extend the useful life of those streets while bringing pedestrian access into compliance with federal disability standards.

Luxon said many of the pedestrian ramps in the project area “do not meet current ADA standards, so those will be replaced.” He described the work as a rehab, meaning the pavement section would be completely replaced while existing curb and gutter would largely remain in place. The planned limits named in the presentation include the 1200–1300 block of River Drive South; River Drive South between 14th and 16th avenues South; 18th Avenue South from Third to Fourth Street; the 1800 block of Third Street South; and Elm Street from 12th to 14th Avenue South.

City records cited in the presentation say the storm sewer and sanitary sewer mains are generally in acceptable condition; no storm sewer improvements were proposed and sanitary mains did not require repairs at the time of the presentation. Luxon said Moorhead Public Service will replace existing cast-iron water mains on River Drive South as part of the street project. He also noted that Xcel Energy typically replaces gas mains before a city street project and that Xcel’s work would be separate from the city contract.

The city estimates the entire project will cost about $1,400,000, Luxon said. The presentation listed three funding sources for the work: special assessments (front-footage assessments), a Moorhead Public Service cost share and a city cost share. The front-footage assessment rate for this project type (rehab) is $90 per front foot; assessments on the project were estimated to generate approximately $333,000. The presenter said the Moorhead Public Service cost share is about $195,000 and that the remainder will be covered by a city cost share; a clear dollar figure for the city portion was not stated in the presentation.

Luxon said the anticipated contractor start window is May or June 2025, with a contract completion date estimated near September 2025. He emphasized the schedule is dependent on contractor availability and weather. The city plans to divide the work into phases with specific time allotments for each phase; during some rehab phases, driveway access will be restricted and residents may need to park on nearby streets for short periods. The city will notify affected residents several days in advance when driveway access will change.

The presentation addressed resident concerns about access and services during construction. Luxon said accommodations will be arranged for residents with mobility needs and for users of the FM Ride Source program if contacted in advance. He said garbage and recycling pickup “will still happen more or less like normal”; if trucks cannot reach containers, the contractor will gather containers from a common place for collection and then return them to homes, and residents were asked to label containers with name and house number so they can be returned correctly.

The presenter noted residents should inform the city if they have sump pump lines or irrigation lines in the boulevard so crews can mark and try to avoid them. For questions about special assessments, Luxon directed residents to Amy Seifert, the city’s special assessment coordinator. He also directed residents to the City of Moorhead engineering page and the pavement management program story map for interactive maps, project locations and to sign up for email notifications about the project.

The city cautioned that Xcel Energy excavation may remove short sections of sidewalk or curb while reconnecting services and that their work does not necessarily indicate the city street contractor has begun work. Luxon said the contractor could face financial penalties if contract completion dates are not met, per the contract terms, but specific penalty amounts were not discussed in the presentation.

The presentation was informational; no formal decisions, votes or ordinances were recorded in the transcript excerpt.