Construction is expected to begin on the 11th Street railroad underpass in 2024.

city council

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Progress is being made on Moorhead’s long-time dream, a double underpass beneath the BNSF Railway tracks that cross 11th Street.

City engineer Bob Zimmerman reported to the City Council Monday efforts are underway to acquire property needed for the massive excavation and construction project downtown. Under the present timeline, work is expected to begin in 2024.

The project finally got the green light in October, when the Minnesota Legislature passed a truck highway bonding bill that includes $62 million in funding. As a result, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will be the lead agency on the project in consultation with the city of Moorhead.

Zimmerman said the necessary environmental engineering assessment is nearly complete, with no sign of significant environmental impacts noted.

The next step, approved by the council, is to acquire the property needed to construct the more than two-block-long structure, which will carry automotive traffic beneath the three railroad lines that cross the center of the city. The ability to bypass lines of backed up traffic while 70 trains a day cross along the east-west route will eliminate more than five hours of blockage a day. The city will lead the process to buy or in some cases arrange easements on the affected property, along with SRF Consulting.

Twelve properties were identified for buy-outs on the map Zimmerman provided to the council, along with several others that may be impacted or require easements; much of the rest of the land has already been acquired by the city. He pointed out that business property owners will receive benefits beyond the purchase price of their land. Among them: expenses related to searching for replacement locations, moving and reestablishment. The city will be reimbursed by MnDOT for expenses related to purchasing the properties, estimated at $350,000. (That does not include purchase prices.)

Governmental affairs director Lisa Bode reported that the city is planning to once again apply for a federal BUILD grant to help fund construction. 2021 will mark the seventh time the city has attempted to secure the major federal grant of up to $25 million. The entire BUILD program disburses funds from a $1 billion appropriation. Moorhead has received high marks in previous years – “they’ve told us we scored an A,” Bode said – but failed to be chosen for the final grants.

This time, she recommended to the council that they approve hiring the federal relations consulting firm Primary Strategy Group to continue efforts on Moorhead’s behalf in Washington, D.C. She suggested they may also be available to help identify and secure other sources of federal funding. The council voted unanimously to contract with the consultants for 12 months at a total cost of $54,000.