Study to Take a Look at Traffic Issues in Minot | Video

Rene Thibault | 2/16/2013

As Minot`s population increases, so does the traffic. With a little help from the state, city officials are trying to address the problem.

Traffic is something that everyone hates, but every that driver has to deal with. “Traffic`s getting a lot busier than it used to be, and it`s getting a little bit ridiculous,” said Mike Reile, a Minot native.

“It takes a lot longer to get across town now, I know it used to take a few minutes to drive to the back, now you have to allow for 15 minutes there, 15 minutes back,” added Laurie Kent, another distraught Minot driver.

Almost every Minot resident has noticed the increase in vehicles on the city`s roads, due in large part to the rapid growth of North Dakota`s oil industry.

“Were we expecting to see that kind of growth that fast, certainly not. I think what we`re dealing with here in Minot is very unprecedented growth, so that does give us challenges,” said city engineer Lance Meyer.

Minot will be looking into ways to deal with those challenges. The Magic City will be getting $275,000 from the state for a new traffic study. The study will look at vehicle counts, road designs and projected population.

“That helps us determine goals and priorities we need to set for the city, so we can make sure that these roads are build to an appropriate size to handle the growth and traffic,” added Meyer.

With the amount of change the city has seen in just a few short years, this study is necessary. The last time a study like this was done was in 2006, and many city officials didn’t foresee such as expansion as Minot is experiencing now. This 2013-2014study will allow traffic engineers to identify impacts current traffic is having, so they can properly plan for the future.

As the city figures out the best way to deal with these new challenges residents need to remember that change won`t come overnight.

“I think the long time resident are frustrated by the traffic and they`re still trying to get from point A to point B in a few minutes, and it’s just not like that anymore. Just have to allow for extra time to get where you`re going,” said Kent.

Minot`s Engineering Department is reviewing proposals from three different firms that want to do the study. The study will begin next month and take one year to complete.

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