Cass County outlines 2025 road projects, pilot asphalt fibers and grant pursuits; committee notes budget savings

Cass County staff presented their 2025 construction and maintenance program, reporting favorable bids across several projects and outlining multiple grant applications to supplement county funding.

Key construction items described by county engineers and highway staff included a large regrade (the “yellow” project) from Tower City to Buffalo and a bridge replacement over the Maple River. The county plans to widen that stretch from a 24‑foot top (two 12‑foot lanes) to a 36‑foot top with 6‑foot shoulders and to raise the roadway by about "a foot and a half" to reduce frequent flood closures. The presenter said the bridge replacement will feature a larger structure to provide additional freeboard during major flood events.

Other highlighted projects: - A joint mill and overlay with Barnes County (blue project) running from State 38 to State 32; staff said the awarded grant covers about 80% of costs. The county expects to try a fiber‑in‑asphalt pilot to reduce cracking. - A separate mill and overlay (on County Road 26) addressing heavy truck traffic and diversion routing. - Paving of previously graded Hunter Road (orange line), where staff plan to place 6 inches of asphalt to connect I‑29 to State 18 with a continuous paved route. - Continued sub‑route repair and widening through Arthur, replacement of old culverts, and storm‑sewer improvements. - Culvert lining in multiple locations using fiberglass liners to avoid full excavations, and five box culverts that county staff expect to install starting in May.

On budgets, staff reported bid results that were approximately $2.3 million under budgeted amounts for this year’s contracts and noted bridge budget lines are roughly $900,000 better than anticipated. Staff said they will use $6,000,000 of their SC funds for projects this year (creating a temporary shortfall that county staff expect to refill as SC funds are replenished), and that a joint grant with Barnes County will provide about $1.7 million for the shared project.

Staff also described grant activity and applications: a Transportation Alternatives (TA) application for a path reconstruction and pedestrian crossings near Kindred schools; a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) application for a roundabout at County Road 20 and 45th Street; BUILD and VIP bridge grant applications for Georgetown and two other nearby bridges (joint applications with surrounding counties); and applications tied to improvements at the County Road 20 / I‑29 interchange (including possible competitive highway bridge grants). The county noted revenue forecasts at the state level were being revised downward and that legislative and oil‑production factors may affect available grant funding.

Committee members raised concerns about a proposed interchange work near Fortieth Avenue, including whether Cass County should cost‑share large state‑led interchange work; some members urged caution and noted other county funding priorities. Attendees representing local water and diversion authorities recommended follow‑up briefings on hydraulic impacts where relevant.

Routine procedural items on the meeting agenda (agenda approval and minutes approval from 11/18/2024) were adopted by voice vote earlier in the meeting. Staff said several projects were bid in the fall, which brought competitive pricing and contributed to the savings reported.