Commission approves alignment for Red River Drive shared-use path after design revisions

The Fargo City Commission on a majority voice vote approved a revised alignment for the Red River Drive shared-use path, a just-over-one-mile route along the Red River in north Fargo that staff say will cost an estimated $1,300,000.

City planning staffer Jeremy Gordon told commissioners the route begins at Elm Street near 15th Avenue North, proceeds along the river and ends near the Woodcrest Drive cul-de-sac on previously acquired flood-buyout land. Gordon said federal funding was secured in 2023 and the city is now working through environmental review and design.

The commission heard that the original alignment ran as close as 35 feet from some rear lot lines and sat 2–3 feet higher than adjacent properties. Responding to neighborhood concerns, staff altered the alignment to increase separation to about 75 feet and lower the path 8–9 feet in elevation; the change will make the path visible from fewer backyards and place the trail above the City’s regular nuisance flood elevation, the slides presented to the commission showed.

Gordon said the Park District will split the local share; no special assessments are planned. He identified Houston Engineering as the project designer and said additional connections to Elm Street near 16th and 19th Avenues are planned.

Commissioner Peppercorn asked about permitted uses and hours; staff said the path will follow Park District rules, open in daylight and closed at night with enforcement handled by complaint processes. Commissioners and staff noted public input: an advertised meeting and written comments led staff to rework the alignment where feasible.

After discussion, a motion to concur with the recommended alignment passed on roll call with recorded ayes from Commissioner Peppercorn, Commissioner Turnberg, Commissioner Kolpak, Commissioner Strand and Mayor Mahoney.

The project timeline presented includes ongoing design and environmental review; staff said the path will be built to federal and state standards for floodplain infrastructure and will be lined and graded to conform with future maintenance requirements.

The commission directed staff to proceed with final design and permitting so the project can move to construction once funding, environmental review and land agreements are complete.

Funding sources and the local share split were described as federal grant funds plus a local contribution from the Fargo Park District; exact dollar split was not specified during the presentation.

The commission did not set a construction schedule at the meeting; staff said additional public outreach will continue as design proceeds.