Moorhead proposes $1.1 million street rehabilitation with storm‑sewer upgrades; $60,000 in special assessments

Clay Lexson, an engineer for the City of Moorhead, said the city plans a street rehabilitation project on 10 and a Half Street and 17th Avenue next summer that the city estimates will cost about $1.1 million and will be funded with federal grants, the city stormwater fund, a general obligation bond and roughly $60,000 in special assessments.

The project is intended to improve drainage and pavement longevity. "These changes are projected to greatly improve drainage in the project area," Lexson said. The scope includes installing a new storm main on 10 and a Half Street, adding catch basins and manholes where needed, and replacing the storm main at the corner of Tenth Street and 17th Avenue. Lexson described the work as a rehabilitation project; much of the pavement will be addressed with rehabilitation techniques so the streets will have longer-term performance than a simple surface treatment.

City records show the streets in the area were built in the late 1980s and 1990s. The pavement is asphalt; prior work includes a mill-and-overlay on 10 and a Half Street in 2016 and sealcoats on 17th Avenue in 2005 and 2016. Sidewalks run continuously on at least one side of most blocks and will generally be left in place, though a small section of sidewalk on 17th Street will be temporarily removed to accommodate new utility installation. The sanitary sewer and the PVC water main in the project area were described as being in acceptable condition; no sanitary repairs were identified at present.

Lexson gave a start window of May or June 2025 and said the city anticipates final completion near September 2025, while noting the contractor's schedule and weather could change that timeline. "The project will be completed in phases, and each phase has a specific amount of time allotted for construction," he said. Residents will be notified several days in advance when driveway access will be restricted; during those periods people will be asked to park on adjacent streets not under construction. The city said collection of garbage and recycling will continue, with the contractor collecting containers placed at the end of driveways if trucks cannot enter work zones.

On funding and assessments, Lexson said assessments are being calculated using the city's mill-and-overlay front-foot rate even though the overall scope qualifies as rehabilitation. The city applied a mill-and-overlay rate of $42.50 per front foot to compute special assessments. "Assessments on this project are expected to generate approximately $60,000," Lexson said. He said the assessment revenue, together with a general obligation bond, will provide about $234,000; federal funding of $600,000 and $250,000 from the city stormwater fund make up the rest of the estimated $1.1 million project budget.

Residents were instructed to notify the city of any sump-pump lines or irrigation lines in the boulevard that might be damaged during work so crews can attempt to avoid them; Lexson said some lines may need to be relocated by property owners if crews cannot avoid them. He also directed residents with questions about special assessments to contact Amy Seifert, the city's special assessment coordinator. "If you have questions specifically related to special assessments, please feel free to reach out to the city's special assessment coordinator Amy Seifert," Lexson said.

The city has a pavement management program story map on its engineering web page with background on how projects are selected, work strategies, funding, assessments and notifications. Residents can sign up on the city's website to receive email updates for the project; the city also said field staff will be available during construction to address day-to-day access questions.