West Fargo directs engineering for 9th Street Northeast bridge after $5.86 million state allocation
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Summary
The City Commission approved directing an engineer's report and plans for the 9th Street NE grade-separation bridge after staff said the city was offered $5,864,257 in state prairie-dog funds, reducing the local share to about $6.66 million of the roughly $36 million project.
The West Fargo City Commission on Feb. 2 directed staff to finalize an engineer’s report and prepare plans and specifications for the 9th Street Northeast grade-separation bridge after hearing that significant grant funding has been identified for the project.
Dan Hansen, senior director of community and development, told commissioners the bridge portion was separated from a larger reconstruction after the city pursued a RAISE grant and federal partners declined to remain part of the combined package. Hansen said the city was not awarded a flex grant but was told it would receive $5,864,257 in state prairie-dog funds toward the bridge, which reduces the city’s local share to about $6,661,193 on a project estimated at roughly $36,000,000.
"This is huge for West Fargo's taxpayers because that directly comes straight out of the local share," Hansen said, adding that funds are encumbered only after state funding buckets fill and the city receives a letter confirming the encumbrance.
Hansen said Houston Engineering has largely completed design work and the team anticipates construction to begin this summer with final completion of the bridge portion targeted for mid-2027. Commissioners praised staff for securing grants. President Dardis and others highlighted that the grants reduce the amount the city must fund locally by several million dollars.
The commission voted to direct and approve the engineer's report and to instruct the engineer to prepare plans and specifications for project number 2293. The motion passed by voice vote.
The city will await the formal state notification that prairie-dog funds have been encumbered before those funds become eligible for project costs; until then, the project remains contingent on that administrative step.
Officials said the larger corridor work includes multiple projects on the 9th Street corridor and that combined construction across the corridor is estimated at about $60,000,000, but with grants the total local share for the corridor is expected to be roughly $8,000,000.