Bid Opening Set for Hwy. 85 Widening
MCF Newsroom Reports
The North Dakota Department of Transportation is set to open bids in November on two critical segments of U.S. Highway 85, advancing a long-planned expansion to four lanes through the rugged Badlands region heavily used by oilfield traffic.
The projects, funded by a mix of state and federal dollars under Senate Bill 2012, total $155 million and span 19.5 miles south of the Long X Bridge to the junction with Highway 200. The first segment, from reference post 120 to the Long X Bridge, is already advertised and will see bids opened Nov. 7 in Bismarck. The second, from Highway 200 north to RP120 about eight miles north of Grassy Butte, is slated for advertisement soon, with bids due Nov. 21.
“It’s one of the most expensive stretches along the entire corridor,” said Cal Klewin, executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Association, referencing the Badlands segment during an update to the Williams County Commission in August. He noted the terrain’s challenges will demand two years of construction once contracts are awarded.
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