NDOT urges steady funding to finish Highway 85 work, address local bridge backlog

Director Ron Henke of the North Dakota Department of Transportation told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the department needs steady, predictable funding to finish major projects on Highway 85, support local bridge replacements and sustain daily operations such as snow and ice control.

Henke said the department has used a new flex fund and several one‑time appropriations to accelerate projects but that significant gaps remain. “Fifty percent of the motor vehicle excise tax went into that fund. It’s about a $171.5 million,” Henke told the panel. He also said the department received multiple one‑time allocations and legacy earnings, and described those sums in the presentation materials and the packet supplied to senators.

Why it matters: the department framed the request as a combination of long‑run operating needs (fleet, snow and ice control, driver services) and capital shortfalls (local bridges, multi‑lane projects and four‑lane upgrades). Henke said a recent report to legislative management estimated roughly $556 million still needed to complete the remaining Highway 85 improvements; he told senators, “within the report we submitted, it’s about 556.” That shortfall is in addition to earlier grants and the work already under contract.

Most important facts

- Flex fund:…