West Fargo planning commission forwards West 94 transportation study to City Commission

The West Fargo Planning & Zoning Commission voted Nov. 12 to recommend forwarding the West 94 area transportation study to the City Commission after a presentation by consultant Mike Bittner of Fulton & Mink and staff from Metro COG.

The study analyzed how a south-of‑I‑94 area in West Fargo could develop and what transportation investments—ranging from overpasses to full interstate interchanges—would be needed to provide access and support commercial growth. Bittner told commissioners the work is an analysis of potential solutions, not a set of final recommendations: "In fact, because of the federal dollars we use, we can't make firm recommendations or even use the term 'we recommend' to do this," he said.

Why it matters: the study maps growth assumptions and transportation scenarios to 2050, shows commercial-focused development is important to fund infrastructure, and identifies large capital costs and regulatory constraints. Bittner said meeting densities in the conceptual model could yield as much as a roughly 50% population increase in the study area if realized, but he cautioned that access and funding are major barriers.

Key findings and options Bittner described two principal pathways: smaller-scale overpasses and larger interchange connections to I‑94. Overpasses are lower-cost and create fewer interstate conflicts; interchanges are more likely to spur the commercial development the city favors. The study examined new access at 13th Avenue and 15th Street (overpass and interchange options) and a complex reconfiguration near Main Avenue and 26th Street. He said NDDOT expressed a firm preference for roughly 2‑mile spacing between interstate access points, a constraint that influences which options are feasible.

Costs and phasing The presentation included screening of about a dozen alternatives and preliminary cost estimates. Bittner cited order-of-magnitude figures: a 13th/15th interchange could run on the order of $70–$80 million, some larger reconfigurations might approach $90–$100 million, and the full suite of improvements that the study considered could total upward of about $400 million. He said interchange projects are often largely federally funded but noted securing the necessary grant and federal support would be a central challenge.

Public engagement and trade-offs The study included developer roundtables, agency meetings, property-owner interviews, a public open house and an online survey. Bittner said more than 100 stakeholders engaged and reported 55–65% support in the study's preference metrics for improvement strategies; however, nearby neighborhoods—cited by the presenter as the Elmwood neighborhood and the Brooks Harbor area—expressed concern about routing additional traffic through existing residential roads.

Questions from commissioners focused on the study area size, timing and whether NDDOT would support interstate access. On acreage, participants on the record cited different figures during the meeting: one speaker said about "2 to 2 and a half square miles," another mentioned a 700‑acre figure, and Bittner said he would provide an exact acreage after the meeting. On timing, Bittner said the phasing was not tied to specific years and that buildout could occur as soon as 2050 or more conservatively by 2060, depending on funding and development.

Action and next steps Planning staff asked the commission to recommend adoption of the study material to the City Commission. After brief discussion and clarification that the recommendation was to adopt the study (not to select a single scenario), the commission approved forwarding the study to the City Commission by voice vote. The study will be on the City Commission agenda for Monday the 17th for further consideration.

What remains open The study leaves several open items: precise acreage and fiscal analysis to be refined in the growth-area master plan, NDDOT's willingness to allow new interstate access in light of spacing and safety preferences, and identification of specific funding sources to close significant budget gaps. Bittner recommended continued coordination with NDDOT, preservation of right-of-way, and pursuit of grant dollars as next steps.