Minot street maintenance budget recommendation for upcoming years

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) -- An outside consulting firm hired by the city of Minot is recommending that the city more than double its street maintenance budget.

The consultant firm IMS recommended the city increase its budget from $8 to $17 million.

A consultant told the council that the city’s pavement conditions and ride ability scores are fair, but less than ideal.

Lance Meyer, city engineer, said as crews patch and re-patch potholes, it leads to bumpier rides over time.

He said they’ve spent about seven million dollars on chip sealing to protect the surface of roads this year, but addressing pavement management concerns sooner than later would be more prudent.

“If you don’t have enough dollars to get to your end goal within five years, you have to extend your time period. I think last year’s budget presentation we talked about trying to get there in a 15-year plan. What that does over time is it costs you more money,” said Meyer.

He said if it’s not in the budget, he recommends at least keeping up with inflation to keep streets in stable conditions.

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