Construction for 20th/21st Street Underpass in Moorhead Begins Next Week
The city gave a presentation so people know what to expect
MOORHEAD, Minn. — The city of Moorhead gave a presentation on what people can expect as construction starts on the 20th and 21st Street underpass.
Neighbors say they’re glad the project is happening, even though there will be inconveniences.
One man says he’s been waiting for this to happen for 40 years. Another woman says construction will directly affect her driveway, but she’s fine with it for the end product.
“This intersection might be the last in Minnesota that has a train track going diagonally through it. That’s something nobody likes to see. It’s a very unsafe type of intersection to have and this will correct it,” Tom Trowbridge, assistant city engineer, said.
When the project is complete, cars will go under the train. Trowbridge says some trains are double stacked, so they don’t need to build as high of a clearance if the cars go under. Construction will affect the area for the next year–and–a-half.
“It’s going to affect through traffic and local traffic for an extended period of time. It changes the routes…the goal when it’s done is to have a much safer, overall street system,” Trowbridge said.
The city says there will be detours, speed enforcement, and temporary traffic signals, and they want people to follow those detours instead of coming up with their own routes.
“There are some local roads that look attractive to those who know their way around… they’ll do that, and in a small residential neighborhood, it’s not desirable to have that type of cut-through traffic,” Trowbridge said.
Construction will run Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. City services like trash pickup, snow removal, and mail delivery will not be affected.
The city says the contractor for the project brought in some of the first equipment today. They’re preparing the staging area this week, and construction will officially start next week.
You can sign up for email notifications on the city’s website.
