Fargo outlines $35.3 million Main Avenue reconstruction, largely funded by federal dollars

City of Fargo staff outlined plans on Main Avenue to reconstruct the roadway between 25th Street South and University Drive, a two-year project officials said will begin in 2026 and conclude in 2027 with an estimated construction cost of $30,482,371 and a total project cost of $35,302,983 including engineering and administrative fees.

“This project is a full roadway reconstruction, including water main and service replacement, sanitary sewer main and service replacement, storm sewer replacement, roadway and intersection improvements, pedestrian infrastructure improvements, traffic signals, lighting, pavement marking, and landscaping,” Jason Leonard, a city staff member who presented the briefing, said during the informational meeting.

The city described the funding mix as 54.9% federal funds, 14.6% from special assessments, 14.2% from the wastewater utility, 10.1% from the water utility and 6.2% from additional state funds. Officials said special assessments are capped under the city policy and will be applied to benefiting properties; water-main and sanitary sewer replacement assessments were given as $46.38 per front foot.

Officials described a phased construction schedule intended to maintain business access throughout work. The bulk of the work is planned for 2026, with shorter follow-up work in 2027. The presentation listed individual phase durations (for example, a 75-day allowance for some segments and a 105-day allowance for the longest 2026 phase) and said phase 1 was expected to begin in April (with phase 2 beginning in April 2027). An overall project completion date was presented as October 1, 2027; the transcript included a reference to an interim phase-1 completion in November but the exact year was unclear in the recording.

Construction impacts the travelway: the city said the number of traffic lanes will be reduced during work, that through traffic will not be allowed, and that business and local access will be maintained via side streets and temporary access. Temporary water services will be provided to impacted properties, new sidewalks will be installed on both sides of the corridor and crossings will be upgraded to meet ADA standards.

The presentation also detailed unit costs for paving and land-use categories: an arterial direct assessment rate was listed as $318.80 per front foot; indirect square-foot rates for residential and commercial categories (MR1/MR2/MR3, commercial indirect ~34.8¢/sq ft) and a DMU indirect square-foot rate (46.4¢/sq ft) were presented.

City staff said a public relations coordinator will work with the contractor and project manager to notify property owners and businesses about upcoming work and access changes. The informational briefing closed with an invitation for questions; the transcript does not record any formal votes or official actions taken at the meeting.