Commission to discuss 2-to-3 lane road conversions on Divide, 4th, 19th, and Washington

Four major arterial roads are expected to be upgraded to 3 lanes by 2021.
A map outlining the proposed projects.

At tonight’s City Commission meeting, one of the agendas will be to discuss plans to convert portions of Divide Avenue, 4th Street, 19th Street, and Washington Street from 2 lanes to 3.

The projects will be part of funding from ND DOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program, totaling nearly $1.8 million, in which Bismarck successfully made application last year. The projects are expecting to commence in 2019 and conclude in 2021.

These are the primary targeted stretches to see the upgrades. All four have seen steady traffic volume growth over the past few years.

  • Divide: 26th and Schafer
  • Washington: Divide to Calgary
  • 19th: Divide to Hay Creek Court
  • 4th: Boulevard to Century

Based on 2014 traffic counts, Divide and 19th each see roughly 10,000 vehicles per day. That stretch of Washington is even higher, topping 13,000. 4th Street is just under 10,000/day.