FARGO,
N.D. (Oct. 3, 2014) – Beginning Sunday night, crews will put in place a
right lane closure on eastbound Interstate 94 (I-94). The single lane
closure will begin west of 25th Street South and continue to
South University Drive. In this stretch, crews will continue project
work on the addition of a retaining wall and interstate on-ramp as part
of the 25th Street South reconstruction project. Throughout a
majority of this phase of the project, two lanes will remain open for
eastbound I-94 traffic. Weather permitting, the single lane closure in
this stretch of I-94 is expected to last two weeks.
Additionally,
next week a second lane may be closed with only one lane remaining open
for the traveling public. This is tentatively scheduled to occur on
Thursday, weather and material availability permitting. The two lane
closure is expected to last for half of the day or one full day at
most, depending on how fast the ramp connection to the existing
interstate can be built. Motorists should expect significant delays on
eastbound I-94 especially during peak travel times.
“We are making great progress on the 25th
Street South project,” said NDDOT assistant district engineer Kevin
Gorder. “The new driving surface on the widened bridge, most of the new
25th Street roadway, and most of the curb and gutter is in
place throughout the project. Now it’s time to tackle the new interstate
access we are creating for the public.”
Throughout
this stretch on I-94, speeds will be reduced to 40 mph. Crews will be
working close to traffic and motorists merging on to I-94 eastbound from
the loop ramp will have a yield sign and limited room for acceleration.
Motorists are urged to use caution when driving throughout the
project. To help prevent work zone crashes motorists are encouraged to
slow down, allow extra distance between their vehicles and the vehicle
in front of them, use caution and obey posted signs and flaggers.
As
crews continue to see progress on the roadway, there are still many
items of work that remain, including concrete at various intersections,
street lighting, traffic signals, striping, signing, sidewalks, seeding,
bridge barriers, guardrail and additional safety items. “Right now we
expect at least another month of project work before the whole roadway
is open to motorists,” said Gorder.
The
complete 25th Street South reconstruction project will add an
additional driving lane in each direction on the stretch between 17th
Avenue and 23rd Avenue, including widening the bridge that crosses I-94.
At the completion of the project, motorists will increase from two to
three lanes of traffic in each direction, with a center turning lane.
An on-ramp will also be added for motorists traveling on northbound
25th Street South to merge on to eastbound I-94 without crossing
traffic.
