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Cass County committee endorses Castleton's request for truck-bypass signage and Metro COG traffic study
Summary
The Road Advisory Committee voted to endorse the City of Castleton's request for two bypass signs on I-94 and support for a traffic study to assess turn lanes or signals near a proposed 172-home development and potential grocery site; Metro COG indicated it may fund the study in 2026 with an estimated local match of $5,000.
The Cass County Road Advisory Committee voted to endorse a request from the City of Castleton for signage promoting a county truck bypass and to support a Metro COG traffic study of a planned housing development south of town.
A Castleton representative told the committee the city is not seeking county money but believes an endorsement from the county, the sheriff and the highway department would strengthen their request to Metro COG and the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT). The representative said the proposed bypass signage would be located on I‑94 east and west of Casselton to guide trucks onto the county bypass rather than through the town’s center, where truck traffic passes the fire hall and where trains can delay emergency vehicles.
The presentation noted a proposed housing development south of town that would add 172 homes and that the Job Development Authority is pursuing a 15,000-square-foot grocery for the site. Committee members and the presenter said the additional residential and commercial traffic is the core reason for requesting a traffic study: a turn lane or signal could become necessary when traffic volumes rise. Metro COG staff told the presenter that the traffic study may be included in Metro COG’s 2026 program; the presenter said Metro COG funding would likely be federal and would cover about 80% of the study cost, with a local match of roughly $5,000.
Committee members discussed sign placement and maintenance authority. The presenter said the state will not place a sign on State Highway 18 encouraging traffic to use a county highway because, as presented to the committee, placing such a state sign could trigger state maintenance obligations for that county route. The committee also discussed drafting a common-language endorsement letter to send to Metro COG and NDDOT; the county will prepare a draft letter and circulate it to committee members and city staff for review.
Sheriff Jesse Johnner and other members raised safety concerns at nearby intersections in subsequent business: the committee heard that DOT’s crash review at the Highway 18/26 intersection found westbound vehicles stopping at the stop sign and then pulling out into oncoming traffic, a pattern that complicated simple countermeasure choices. That intersection was discussed later in the meeting as part of “other business” regarding possible enhanced signage or redesign; the committee noted DOT’s role in decisions on state-right-of-way locations and said it would continue to coordinate with DOT.
The committee moved to endorse the Castleton request (signage and support for the traffic study) and to carry that endorsement to the full county commission; the chair ruled the motion carried.
Ending: The county will draft an endorsement letter for the City of Castleton, work to obtain endorsements from the sheriff and highway department, and coordinate with Metro COG and NDDOT as the traffic study request advances.
