Moorhead Construction Forcing Businesses to Close

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A $15 million dollar construction project is designed to improve traffic conditions for both cars and pedestrians in downtown Moorhead, according to city officials.
 
But the project comes at a steep cost for some business owners, who are losing their livelihood to make room for expanded roads and sidewalks.
 
Business is good for Neal Cook.

He’s owned Cook Flooring for 15 years, the last five here on 8th street in Moorhead.
 
“It’s a high-traffic area,” Cook says.
 
Traffic levels are too high, says Moorhead City Administrator Michael Redlinger. Especially when passing trains bring cars to a halt.
 
“When we have a train going through downtown we are not able to get right turns moving if we have people in the two driving lanes wanting to proceed through an intersection it’s gonna lock that intersection up,” Redlinger says.
 
Thanks in part to a $5.2 million state grant, Moorhead is adding turn lanes on 8th Street and 11th Street, so cars can still turn east and west when trains block north and south traffic.
 
“We want to be able to move that traffic east-west more efficiently,” Redlinger adds.
 
The city needs extra space to build the extra traffic lanes, more than 100 parcels, a lot on 8th street, home to a gas station, and Cook Flooring.
 
Redlinger explains, “That’s a property that’s very necessary to be able to have for that right turn lane improvement.”
 
That means both businesses have to go.
 
“Don’t think we’ll be able to operate here with the size of the parking lot and what they’re doing to the streets,” says Cook.
 
Business owners who would be forced to close say it is a major inconvenience, but they’re not fighting the decision, saying they don’t want to stand in the way of progress.
 
Cook adds, “How do you stop progress?”
 
Cook plans to relocate, hopefully in Moorhead.

City officials have pledged to help affected business find a new home. Even though he’s losing his business, Cook says he sees the good in making travel easier in downtown Moorhead.
 
He adds “Won’t be quite as congested.”
 
Cook says he doesn’t know when he’ll have to leave his current location.
Moorhead city leaders say they hope to start construction on the new traffic lanes next spring.