Construction of two underpasses on 11th Avenue is expected to start in 2024, after the city and Minnesota Department of Transportation received word Monday that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $26.3 million toward funding the $114.7 million project. Graphic/Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
The number-one project on Moorhead’s wish list, the 11th Street underpass project, received a major boost in the days before Christmas — not from Santa Claus, but from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced Monday that the USDOT’s Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program has awarded $26.3 million toward construction of the project. Two underpasses will speed traffic beneath the BNSF rail lines that bisect Moorhead’s downtown between Main and First Avenue North.
Mayor Shelly Carlson applauded the news: “The vision for the 11th Street project is becoming reality!” She called the traffic safety and mobility project a vital component of downtown Moorhead revitalization.
“I am so grateful to our congressional delegation and their staff members for advocating on our behalf,” she added. “We appreciate the resources provided by USDOT and our other generous funding partners, including the state of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Clay County and BNSF, for making this investment in our city. We look forward to working with MnDOT, the project lead, to build an even better Moorhead.”
Klobuchar observed she has been working with the city for years to obtain funding. While engineering and design tasks have yet to be completed, its total cost is estimated in the neighborhood of $115 million. The senator noted the federal funding will boost the city’s economy by reducing traffic and bolstering safety.
Smith credited passage of the 2021 Infrastructure Law with moving the project — part of the Trunk Highways US 10/75 Downtown Moorhead Grade Separation Safety, Mobility and Livability Project — off the back burner. “We’re finally making progress. These underpasses will help improve the lives of families in Moorhead by reducing traffic congestion and making it safer to get to their jobs, schools, grocery stores and countless other opportunities.”
Rep. Michelle Fischbach added, “This project is going to substantially improve local, regional and national transportation, and I look forward to seeing all the ways it will benefit the community.” (The 7th District congressional representative, however, did not vote for the Infrastructure Law, from which the allocation is drawn.)
About 70 trains pass through downtown Moorhead every day; that total is predicted to reach 90 per day in the next 20 years, causing seven hours of daily traffic delays. The 11th Street project will carry north- and southbound traffic under the tracks, with trains passing overhead on two bridges.
The Minnesota Legislature authorized $65 million in bonding for the project. Additional funding is expected from MnDOT and other partners. Construction will begin in 2024 aiming for an opening in 2026. MnDOT and the city are currently working on acquiring properties around the intersections. Some utility work and building removal may be completed during 2023.
Some $240 million in public benefits are anticipated from the project, including prevention of 254 crashes and reducing drivers’ delays by 7.2 million hours.
