Friday, October 3, 2014

Lane closures on eastbound I-94 to begin Monday in Fargo


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.