The ND Department of Transportation has been awarded a $55 million grant from the U.S. DOT for the expansion of US Highway 85, also known as the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway, in western North Dakota.
The funding will be used to four-lane about 13 miles of the highway between the LongX Bridge and the junction with Highway 200.
The project will not cover the entire stretch south of the bridge, according to Cal Klewin, executive director, Theodore Roosevelt Expressway. He said the project eventually will connect North and South Dakota’s highways together in a safer, more efficient manner.
Right-of-way acquisition is expected to start early next year, with utility relocation scheduled from fall 2024 thru fall 2025.
Bid letting is tentatively planned for the fall of 2025, with construction to occur in 2026 and 2027. The construction and engineering associated with the grant portion is expected to cost $110 million, half of which is provided by the federal grant.
Klewin said the 2023 Legislature authorized NDDOT to borrow up to $50 million from the Bank of North Dakota to match the federal grant. A Flexible Transportation Fund created by the 2023 Legislature could also be used for matching grants, as well as funding other road and bridge projects.
Klewin appeared on Townsquare Media KLXX SuperTalk 1270AM’s Talk of the Town with Steve Bakken and guest co-host Jason Spiess, the founder of The Crude Life.
“The Theodore Roosevelt Expressway is the primary north-south roadway in western North Dakota, serving as a vital corridor to help connect our region’s energy and agricultural sectors to other parts of the country,” said Spiess. “This money is designed to help reduce traffic delays, saving time and money for the traveling public, while improving safety and supporting the region’s economic growth for years to come.”
In the mid 1990’s, elected officials and civic leaders in Lubbock, Texas wanted to improve U.S. 87/287 to the north and south of U.S. Interstate 27 between Lubbock and Amarillo, Texas. The goal: to capture the economic benefits of trade along north and south corridors to support increasing trade opportunities. Today, there are three federally designated High Priority Corridors on the National Highway System of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance. Collectively, the U.S. corridors traverse through more than 2,300 miles.
Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor
• Begins in Laredo, Texas and extends through Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Colorado, where it meets up with the Heartland Expressway.
• The Heartland Expressway runs through the northern portion of Colorado, Nebraska and into Wyoming.
• The Theodore Roosevelt Expressway runs from Rapid City, South Dakota to North Dakota and Montana.
Beyond the U.S., the Alliance extends into the energy and agriculture rich areas of Canada, connecting to the Eastern Alberta Trade Corridor. In Mexico, development is underway connecting the Texas / Mexico border to the Port of Mazatlán on the west coast of Mexico.
By the Numbers: The Ports-to-Plains Alliance Corridor Serves
• 5 of the top 15 wind generation states (2019)
• 27% of the nation’s ethanol refineries (2018)
• 6 of the top 10 natural gas producing states (2019)
• 7 of the top 15 oil producing states (2019)
• 7 of the top 10 farm states for land in farms (2019).
• 3 of the top 10 farm states in state receipts for all farm commodities (2019)
The Theodore Roosevelt Expressway (TRE) is the northern third of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance. It runs from Rapid City, South Dakota to Canada through the Port of Raymond in Montana. The TRE begins in Rapid City and flows through the cities of Spearfish, Belle Fourche, Bowman, Belfield, Watford City, Williston, Culbertson, Plentywood, and finally through the Port of Raymond into Canada.
Feds Invest $55M into Highway 85, aka Theodore Roosevelt Expressway