New 52nd Avenue South eastbound bridge open to traffic

October 15, 2019 - 12:33am | By Chris Larson

Today, contractors for the City of Fargo 52nd Avenue South improvement project opened the second Drain 27 bridge and removed the head-to-head traffic control from east end of the work zone. Motorists will be carried with one lane in each direction on both the eastbound and westbound bridges between 45th Street South and Veterans Boulevard.

Once the traffic shift is complete, 52nd Avenue drivers will encounter the following access:

OPEN: Single westbound and eastbound driving lane between 45th Street South and Veterans Boulevard
OPEN: One lane in each direction in the eastbound lanes west of 63rd Street South intersection
OPEN: Intersection of 47th Street South, Veterans Boulevard, 45th Street South, 63rd Street South, and 53rd Street South (right-in/right-out only)
CLOSED: Full roadway between west of Veterans Boulevard and east of 63rd Street South for concrete cure time and curb and gutter work.
CLOSED: 53rd Avenue South intersection remains closed to mainline traffic.

Once traffic has switched, crews will begin median concrete work and remove the temporary crossover east of the bridge through the east portion of the work zone.

The 52nd Avenue South lane closure east of 45th Street South has reopened to traffic with one through lane and one designed right-hand turn lane. The newly constructed right-turn lane remains closed for cure time to reach designed strength.

52nd Avenue South, between west of Veterans Boulevard intersection, to east of 63rd Street South, will remain closed until early November to allow crews to continue work on medians, colored concrete, lighting, permanent striping, and curb and gutter, site grading and shared-use path installation. All residential and business access will be maintained.

Motorists will also notice a new intersection design at three intersections along 52nd Avenue South. The intersections of 47th Street South, 53rd Street South, and 53rd Avenue South will operate as RCUT (Restricted Crossing U-Turn) intersections to better assist drivers with crossing multiple lanes of the widened roadway. The 47th Street South RCUT intersection if fully open to drivers and the remaining RCUT intersections will open when project work is complete in early November.

RCUT intersection changes a traditional four-way stop intersection into a right-in and right-out intersection. When using an RCUT intersection motorists approaching divided highways from a side road are not allowed to make left turns or cross over traffic; instead, they are guided to take an right-hand turn onto 52nd Avenue South and then make a U-turn at a designated median opening to continue travel.

Benefits of an RCUT intersection:

Eliminates dangerous left-turn and cross traffic movements (T-Bone)
Offers a well-defined access to the arterial roadway
Cost effective and safe solution for smaller intersections that don’t qualify for a signal system

The intersections of 63rd Street South, Veterans Boulevard, and 45th Street South will all be signalized intersections.

Motorists are encouraged to add extra time to their travel plans through the area during peak hours. Speeds are reduced near the school on Veterans Blvd.

The mile and a half stretch of 52nd Avenue South between 45th Street South and 63rd Street South improvement project is spread over six-phases through November and is completely reconstructing the rural two-lane roadway to an urban four-lane divided roadway with dedicated turn lanes.

Phase work will overlap or begin after specific phases are complete. Eastbound and westbound 52nd Avenue South will be reconstructed in multiple phases between: