Media Release:
Click HERE to visit City of West Fargo road construction page.
Due to the additional time and significant costs involved, the 40th Avenue W. and Sheyenne Street intersection will close to all traffic beginning 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 1. This closure follows the original construction plans for the project to ensure that work was both efficient and cost effective, while maintaining safety for all using and working in the corridor. The intersection is set to reopen Saturday, June 15. The intersection will remain open for pedestrians and bicycle access during the road closure.
Since work started south of 40th Avenue W. with crews working to the north, the contractor has identified too many inefficiencies with keeping the intersection open. While City and project staff work hard to keep as much of a roadway open as possible to motorists while improvements are being made, these inefficiencies would continue to slow the project down and cause dangerous working and driving conditions. The inefficiencies include:
- Moving large amounts of dirt across lanes of live traffic.
- Not enough room to maneuver equipment and staff with live traffic in the intersection.
Completing the underground work and fully opening 40th Avenue W. intersection back to cross traffic June 15 is pivotal to other aspects of the total Sheyenne Street reconstruction project, and to the ability of adjacent Southwest Metro projects meeting timelines. Additionally, the added costs of traffic control to ensure safety and added contractor work will impact the overall project budget by over $200,000.
During the construction, the West Fargo Fire Department and Fargo Fire Department are working under a mutual aid agreement so each can cover for the other in two areas on the fringes of the cities. The route and call plans were established with the initial project design and with the expectation of the 40th Avenue W. intersection closed. The West Fargo Police Department has also stationed patrol cars out of the West Fargo Fire Department’s Southside Station for better response time.
The two-year Sheyenne Street corridor reconstruction project began in 2018 and will ease congestion and safety concerns in West Fargo by adding lanes to Sheyenne Street from 13th Avenue W. to 40th Avenues W. and reconstructing the I-94 Sheyenne Street interchange. The City of West Fargo is overseeing the project from 13th Avenue W. to 40th Avenue W. and the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) is overseeing the interchange. Segment 1, completed in 2018, reconstructed a five-lane section of road from 13th Avenue W. to Beaton Drive. A six-lane section with raised median, offset turn lanes and a new bridge over the Sheyenne Diversion is currently under construction in segment 2 from Beaton Drive to 32nd Avenue W. Work on segment 3, from 32nd Avenue W. to past 40th Avenue W., began in 2019 and will result in a new four-lane section of road with a raised median and offset left-turn lanes.
To stay updated on traffic closures and detours, sign up for West Fargo Streets alerts at www.westfargond.gov/list.aspx. Notices of changing traffic conditions will also be posted on the City of West Fargo’s Facebook, Twitter and Nextdooraccounts.