Northwest Street Network Study
Overview
The Grand Forks-East Grand Forks MPO 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) has identified a major investment to improve the north-south traffic flow in the northwest area of the City of East Grand Forks. Public feedback on the LRTP and other area studies has identified the ability to travel across the metropolitan area as a key concern.
The planned investment includes the reconstruction of the US 2 / 5th Ave NW intersection as a full access with traffic signalization to provide north-south connectivity across US 2. Currently this intersection is a right-in/right-out only for eastbound US 2. There is no access for westbound US 2 to 5th Ave NW. The city of East Grand Forks reconstructed this intersection to this configuration after the flood in 1997. In a more recent study, the US Hwy 2 Access Management Study, the MPO was asked to conduct another study to make access recommendations for the US 2 corridor. The US Hwy 2 Access Management Study did recommend 5th Ave NW as a full access intersection, primarily to address issues when the River Road was closed due to flooding.
Recently, the need for full access at 5th Ave NW has been questioned by the City of East Grand Forks due to potential impacts to the neighborhood, and because the flooding impacts are only short-term. At other times of the year, River Road provides access to the neighborhood and the northwest area. It is noted that emergency personnel are not affected by the flood conditions.
The purpose of the Northwest Street Network Study is to provide a comprehensive look at the future needs of this intersection and surrounding roadway network to provide enhanced north-south connectivity, while considering the multi-modal needs (transit, pedestrian and bicycle) of the area. The study will provide long-range direction to Grand Fork-East Grand Forks MPO for the development of the intersection and any surrounding roadway and multimodal improvements.
The key area issues are detailed here: Key Issues (1.31MB, PDF, 1 Page)
Tentative Schedule
| Kick-Off Meeting | June 9th, 2011 |
| Summary of Existing and Future Conditions | July 2011 |
| 1st Public Open House | July 28th, 2011 |
| Summary of Intersection & Roadway Concepts | September 2011 |
| 2nd Public Open House | September 15th, 2011 |
| Preferred Alternative/Cost Estimates | October 2011 |
| 3rd Public Open House | October 20th, 2011 |
| City Council Meeting | November 2011 |
| Final Report | December 2011 |
News and Announcements
TBD