The North Broadway bridge has been closed since Feb. 11, when instability was discovered on the Fargo side of the river. (File Photo/The Extra.)

Karen Newman 

Engineer David Overbo updated the Clay County Commission Tuesday on the prospects for repairing or replacing the North Broadway bridge, closed since February due to concerns about its unstable slopes creating issues with the bridge’s safety.

Jointly owned by the city of Fargo and Clay County, the bridge’s infrastructure has been assessed by SRF Consulting, which has now completed the first of four tasks, an analysis of the closure’s impact on traffic.

To complete the second task, SRF Consulting is doing a geo-technical analysis of the road leading to the bridge. It’s anticipated to be complete by mid-September. Overbo said, “The roadway on the North Dakota side has a lot more movement.  The roadway itself is sliding into the river. I believe there is a lot more geo-technical work on their end for that.”

The third task for SRF is to provide a public online survey for residents of the City of Fargo, City of Moorhead and Clay County who live within the bridge’s vicinity. The survey will be available online later in August.

Once the public feedback surveys have been collected, SRF will complete its final goal which is to make recommendations concerning the future of a bridge at the present North Broadway location. The consulting firm will consider three options utilizing the results of their technical studies and public feedback:

1.     Close the bridge permanently

2.     Replace the bridge at the current elevation

3.     Replace the bridge above the 37-foot flood stage

Following receipt of SRF’s recommendation, the Moorhead City Council, Clay County Board of Commissioners and Fargo City Commission will hold a joint meeting, currently planned for an unspecified date in October, 2021.

At the October meeting, participants will discuss four considerations:

1.     Traffic calming if the North Broadway bridge is permanently closed

2.     Costs for a permanently fixed road approaching the bridge on the North Dakota side

3.     Full breakdown of public feedback from the Minnesota and North Dakota sides of the river

4.     Costs if the bridge is reconstructed at the current level and costs to raise the bridge above the 37-foot flood stage.