Apr. 28—GRAND FORKS — Discussions between the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration continue as the expected construction date of the 42nd Street underpass nears.
Those discussions center on the $30 million grant that is being received for the project. NDDOT, which is the lead agency for the project, had asked if there were additional funds for the project to maintain the same funding level, as costs had increased since the grant was awarded as part of the 2022 Federal Railroad Crossing Elimination program. The FRA said that was not possible, but conversations continue about finalizing the grant paperwork.
“We’ve had a little bit more back and forth on that,” Grand Forks Assistant City Engineer David Kuharenko said. “They’re looking for some additional documentation, so that hasn’t been signed yet either, and that’s the one we have to have signed before we can proceed on the right-of-way acquisition.”
Additional funding from the state
was announced in March by Gov. Kelly Armstrong to ensure that the project gets completed
. Those funds total $20 million out of NDDOT Flex Funds. Between Grand Forks, NDDOT, BNSF and federal funds, the project is currently projected to cost $90 million.
The sources of funds currently planned include:
* $30 million from the FRA grant.
* $7.5 million in federal funds NDDOT receives.
* $4.2 million in non-federal NDDOT funds.
* $20 million from the NDDOT Flex Fund.
* $1.5 million from BNSF.
* $18.5 million from the city of Grand Forks.
* $5.2 million from Grand Forks’ urban roads program, a federal source that requires a local match.
* $3.1 million in local match dollars to the urban roads program.
These sources still have to be finalized in the cost participation, construction and maintenance agreement. The current plan would have those before the Grand Forks City Council for consideration sometime this summer. For the urban roads program, those funds were previously earmarked for the reconstruction of South 48th Street, but are likely going to be reallocated to fund this project.
Construction for the project is expected to begin in 2026 and last through 2028. Approval of design, plans, and bids is expected to occur this summer and into fall.
The design is roughly 90% complete, but there have been delays in right-of-way acquisition because of the back and forth with the FRA about grant funding. The project will dramatically change the layout of the intersection of DeMers Avenue and 42nd Street.
The preliminary designs show 42nd Street going under both DeMers Avenue and the BNSF railroad tracks. A “jughandle” will connect 42nd Street with DeMers Avenue across what is now the northwest corner of UND’s Ray Richards Golf Course. As an added complexity to the project, one of the city’s major water pipes runs under the intersection.
The golf course likely will be closed for the entirety of the planned two-year construction. The course will be reconfigured as part of the construction, and at the same time, UND is considering plans to
redevelop part of the course into apartments and a new home for the UND golf team.
Improving the intersection has been a long-sought priority for Grand Forks. Addressing the intersection has been discussed for over 30 years, but the project has really been making its way through its design and planning stages in the last decade.
The intersection has seen more complaints than any other rail crossing in North Dakota, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said when he visited the site in 2023. Two major thoroughfares and BNSF rail converge and cause traffic congestion and concerns for both emergency responders, UND and the city.