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Lawmakers hear request for $611,000 to replace Bear Creek crossing serving vineyard; committee holds bill
Summary
Bismarck — The House Transportation Committee heard testimony on House Bill 1182 requesting $611,000 to build a reliable crossing on Bear Creek north of Oaks to serve a new vineyard and local users; the committee held the bill for further review of funding options.
Bismarck — The House Transportation Committee heard testimony on House Bill 1182 on Jan. 16 requesting $611,000 from the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund (SIF) to build a reliable stream crossing on Bear Creek north of Oaks to serve Hearthside Vineyard and Winery and other local users. After testimony, the committee decided to hold the bill while legislators and appropriations staff consider the appropriate funding vehicle.
Representative Mike Brandenburg said the requested work would provide the only public access to the parcel where Hearthside Vineyard is constructing facilities and stressed the project’s economic-development potential for a rural community. "This is important for economic development," Brandenburg told the committee, noting the work is intended to allow customers and workers to access the vineyard outside dry-year conditions.
Owner Haley Moen, who testified in person, described the crossing’s history: a county-managed bridge was removed in 1991 and replaced with culverts that have repeatedly failed, leaving the property inaccessible for extended periods in wet years. Moen said the vineyard’s feasibility study estimates up to 5,000 visitors annually and an initial construction-related economic impact of about $2.5 million in the local area; she said the parcel can be inaccessible for up to five months in some years, which prevents construction and commerce.
Chad Orin, deputy director for planning at the North Dakota Department of Transportation, explained the state’s flexible transportation fund (created in the previous session out of a share of motor vehicle excise tax receipts) received 165 applications totaling roughly $205 million for about $43 million available, and the Bear Creek project scored in the highest category but was not funded because dollars were exhausted. Orin said the department expects projects to supply hydraulic studies and engineering if they want more precise cost estimates; he cautioned that the applicant’s $611,000 figure could change after a hydraulic study and engineered design.
Committee members discussed whether this project should be directed into the flexible transportation fund process rather than be earmarked from SIF directly. DOT staff said the flex fund scoring process is intended to distribute limited dollars across counties and townships; committee members asked DOT to consider whether repeat applicants could receive priority in future scoring rounds.
After discussion the committee did not act on the bill and instead held it for further consideration of funding options and potential inclusion in a future flex-fund round or other appropriations.
