GF & EGF leaders talk bridge strategy

Grand Forks and East Grand Forks leaders will likely take a second swing at hiring a bridge consultant to work on the scoping phase for planning an intercity bridge and a potential Merrifield Road project.

A joint meeting between the councils on both sides of the river was held last night (Wednesday) to discuss everything from traffic patterns and school safety to funding issues.

Ken Holte with SRF Consultants says the next phase of development involves getting the two DOT’s on board…research…and identifying funding sources.

Grand Forks Council President Dana Sande says he has some concerns that some of the data used in the current traffic models are flawed and need to be reevaluated using the 2050 transport324ation plan.

East Grand Forks council member Brian Larson says rather than focus on location the next phase hinges on which bridges would qualify for federal funding.

The estimated cost for the next phase of the bridge study is just over $151,000 dollars.

NOTES:

The project study be developed in five distinct phases:
1) Scoping Phase – the goal being to bring the owner agencies and regulatory agencies together to
define the requirements necessary to achieve regulatory approvals. The outcome of this phase
will be a well-defined scope, schedule, and budget to initiate the environmental review process
and technical analysis. Additionally, this phase will outline the known funding opportunities
available to be pursued.
2) Planning & Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study Phase – the goal being to define the purpose
and need for each location and begin alternatives development/screening. The outcome of this
phase will be a reduced set of alternatives, along with a well-defined scope, schedule, and budget
to enter the NEPA phase.
3) NEPA Phase – knowing this stage will have a limiting time restriction, the goal will be to quickly
determine a Preferred Alternative and complete the environmental documentation. The
outcome of this phase will be an approved environmental document, along with a well-defined
scope, schedule, and budget to enter the final design phase.
4) Final design Phase – the outcome of this phase will be a fully completed and approved set of
Plans, Specifications, and Engineer’s Estimate of construction costs to allow for a construction
letting.
5) Construction Phase – the outcome of this phase is the completion of a new river crossing and
adjacent roadway that approaches meeting the agencies’ expectations.