KLJ presents Transportation and Comprehensive Master Plan update; finds measured growth and lists projects through 2050

Consultants from KLJ and the City of Dickinson presented a draft Transportation and Comprehensive Master Plan update at the Planning and Zoning Commission work session on Sept. 10, summarizing population forecasts, land- and housing-needs analysis, and a multi-decade transportation program.

Wade Klein, KLJ project manager, said the plan uses a 1.4% annual growth rate through 2050 and estimates the city will need roughly 2,600 acres of developable land inside the urban service area to accommodate projected growth. KLJ’s analysis classified land by cost to serve: about 25% of that acreage can be developed with little new infrastructure, about 50% would need minor investment and roughly 25% would require major investment.

KLJ’s housing forecast found a cumulative shortfall to 2050 of about 1,500 homeowner units and about 600 rental units beyond expected supply, with much of the need concentrated in workforce and entry-level housing segments. The consultants recommended targeted actions to increase homeowner and rental housing supply and preserve affordability.

On transportation, the consultants said existing traffic operations are generally adequate but some corridors — notably segments of State Avenue (Highway 22), the west end near Exit 59 and parts of Tenth Street — will require improvements as growth continues. KLJ and subconsultant Apex Engineering developed a list of nearly 67 projects: 13 identified as planned (programmed or funded), 11 short-range, 20 medium-range and 23 long-range. KLJ provided order-of-magnitude costs, including about $28 million for planned projects and successive bands of roughly $53 million, $72 million and $100 million for projects beyond 2028 through 2050; those figures include inflation and reflect a mix of local, state and federal funding assumptions.

KLJ said much of the city’s near-term need focuses on preservation and maintenance of system assets rather than new capacity. "A lot of the projected system needs fit generally inside the capacity of the community," Klein said, adding the plan emphasizes an affordable, proactive investment strategy.

Commissioners and staff discussed specific issues including quiet rail crossings; KLJ said quiet crossings were not part of the public input for this plan and that retrofitting crossings is typically costly, sometimes in the millions per crossing. Commissioners also asked about next steps; staff said the final draft is in the commission packet and that further hearings and adoption steps would follow.

The presentation will inform an updated future land use map and be used by staff for capital improvement planning and project prioritization. KLJ noted that staff, North Dakota DOT and local stakeholders participated in extensive public engagement during plan development.