By: Jeff Beach (ND Monitor)
The North Dakota Department of Transportation will host information sessions next week on part of the planned expansion of U.S. Highway 85 from two to four lanes.
The first meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Mountain Time Wednesday at the fire hall in Fairfield. The second meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Mountain Time Thursday at the Memorial Hall in Belfield. Both meetings will be an open house format with a formal presentation at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time.
The meetings will update the expansion of about 31 miles of Highway 85 from Interstate 94 to North Dakota Highway 200. The estimated construction cost is about $290 million.
There is no funding yet for that part of the expansion. Construction would start in 2028 if funding becomes available.
Watford City is at the north end of the Highway 85 project. The widening project covers about 62 miles of highway in Stark, Billings and McKenzie counties. The south end of the project is at the Interstate 94 interchange near Belfield.
Crews have already completed replacing the Long X Bridge over the Little Missouri River and widening the section from Watford City to that bridge.
Construction for the section from Highway 200 to the Long X Bridge is to begin in 2026.
That includes a 6-mile area of the Badlands estimated to cost $95 million. The rest of that segment is estimated to cost about $117 million, which includes a roundabout at the intersection of 85 and 200.
The Legislature in the recent legislative session approved $150 million for Highway 85. The state also is seeking a $55 million federal grant.
