City of Moorhead outlines summer 2025 neighborhood street reconstruction, $65 front-foot assessment

Clay Lexson, an engineer for the City of Moorhead, presented an informational video describing a proposed street reconstruction in a Moorhead neighborhood expected to start in May or June 2025 and to be completed by the end of September, with an estimated total cost of $1,500,000 and front-foot assessments set at $65.

Why it matters: The project would replace the entire pavement section and base material on roads built in 1978, address failing pavement along edges, and include limited ditch regrading. Funding split between special assessments (front footage) and a city cost share affects homeowners directly through assessments on their property frontage.

According to Lexson, the neighborhood roads were originally built in 1978 and have seen only minor work since then (chip seals and patching). Pavement failure is concentrated along edges where sections are separating and sliding toward the ditch. The area is a rural-section road with limited storm sewer; drainage currently flows to roadside ditches and into regional stormwater ponds. The city has received resident reports of poor drainage and standing water in ditches.

The city conducted a resident survey of 43 properties and received 20 responses. Lexson said the unanimous pavement choice among respondents was bituminous (asphalt). For stormwater, 75% of respondents preferred no new storm sewer infrastructure and 25% preferred minor improvements. With those results, the city proposes to proceed with a bituminous pavement replacement and without installing new storm sewer infrastructure. The work scope includes full replacement of pavement and base, selective regrading of side slopes to flatter transitions to the ditches, and filling low spots in ditch bottoms where feasible.

Lexson noted that sanitary sewer mains (PVC) and the water main (PVC) are in good condition and that no work on those utilities is proposed under this project. He explained why storm sewer additions were not included: new storm sewer would substantially increase costs and could raise homeowners' assessments for work beyond typical street reconstruction.

Schedule and impacts: The anticipated contractor start is May or June 2025, with a contractor window that runs through the end of September; Lexson said this window is weather- and contractor-schedule dependent and does not guarantee every portion of the project will be under construction for the entire period. He said the city may consider financial penalties if the contractor fails to complete work within the contract window. Construction will proceed in phases; residents should expect intermittent driveway access restrictions and will be notified several days in advance when access changes are needed. Lexson said field staff will be the on-site information source and that residents with mobility needs (for example, wheelchair users or regular users of the FM RideSource program) should contact the city in advance to request accommodations.

Service logistics: Garbage and recycling pickup will proceed as normally as possible; if collection trucks cannot access individual driveways, residents should place containers at the end of driveways and the contractor will move them to a common collection point and return containers afterward. If containers must be relocated, Lexson requested that residents label containers with name and house number so they can be returned correctly.

Assessments and funding: The presentation said the city recently adopted a new rural reconstruction assessment rate lower than the rate shown in the mailed survey. The front-foot assessment for the bituminous option will be $65 per front foot (the survey had listed $85 per front foot). Using front-foot assessments the city expects to generate approximately $491,000. Lexson estimated total project costs at about $1,500,000, with the remaining approximately $1,000,000 covered by a city cost share funded through general property taxes. He advised residents with assessment questions to contact the city's special assessment coordinator, Amy Seifert.

Other resident responsibilities: Lexson asked residents to notify the city if they have sump pump or irrigation lines in the boulevard so crews can mark them; he added that some lines, if found after excavation, may require relocation by the resident. He also encouraged residents to sign up for email notifications on the city's website for project updates and offered to meet on-site or discuss construction details by phone.

Direct quote: Clay Lexson said, "If you have one we can mark it and do our best to try to avoid it, but you may be required to relocate it." (timecode 09:03).

Ending: The presentation provides contact information on the city's engineering page and a pavements story map with interactive tools showing past, current, and upcoming projects. Residents with questions about construction access, schedule, or scope were invited to contact Lexson; questions about assessments were directed to Amy Seifert, special assessment coordinator.