Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Although the wait for the pilot car may be a little long, the flagger from the construction crew, greets everyone with a smile. If you are ever the first vehicle waiting, take the time to chat with her.
Construction on Highway 281 between Sheyenne and New Rockford has made traveling north more time consuming than ever, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon.
The Devils Lake District for the North Dakota Department of Transportation (DOT) informed the Transcript on Tuesday that completion of the project isn't expected until mid-October, depending on conditions.
"Timelines are always subject to change, of course," said Ethan Kitsch, Project Engineer team lead for the 281 construction project, "but we should be paving in September and then completion probably mid-October.
"They still gotta go through the town of Sheyenne, where we're reconstructing the sidewalks and the whole stretch through town there," he added.
Currently, construction crews are working to widen the road, create turn lanes and to complete a process called "full-depth reclamation," by which construction crews utilize existing asphalt combined with Class 3 aggregate to create a stable base to place asphalt on.
Once that work concludes, construction crews can commence laying asphalt and begin preparations to fully open the road.
In the meantime, drivers will have to continue waiting for a pilot car to escort them through construction, which some residents have said is adding up to 45 minutes to their commute.
On Tuesday, July 19, the Transcript recorded approximately 35 minutes between the moment cars began lining up north of New Rockford, to when those cars finally reached Sheyenne.
Kitsch said whether or not those wait times come down is dependent on their operations, but added that he doesn't expect them to increase more than what they currently are.
Reports have also come in that multiple dump trucks, filled with gravel, have tipped over as construction crews work to widen the road, but no explanation or confirmation of the reports was given by the NDDOT.
Kitsch says once the project is completed, the stretch of Highway 281 currently under construction will match sections of the highway south of New Rockford and north of Sheyenne.
