Ports-to-Plains Annual Conference highlights efforts to expand US-85

DICKINSON, N.D. (KUMV) - The Ports-to-Plains Annual Meeting was in Dickinson this week and transportation leaders across the Central Plains and Texas discussed efforts to create a traffic corridor stretching from Mexico to Canada.

The Ports-to-Plains Alliance is an organization that believes it can increase trade among the three countries via four-lane highway access across the central United States. The project is divided into three sections: Ports-to-Plains covers Laredo, Texas, to southern Colorado; the Heartland Expressway covers northern Colorado to Rapid City, South Dakota; and the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway covers the northern portion up to the Port of Raymond near Culbertson, Montana.

With this year’s conference in Dickinson, most of the focus was on Highway 85. Cal Klewin, the executive director for the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway, said expanding the road across North Dakota will improve traffic safety and tourism travel around Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone.

“We want to promote that there’s good, safe travel on the transportation system to promote tourism, as well as the agriculture and freight movement along the corridor,” said Klewin.

Highway 85 is four-lanes from Williston to Watford City with expansion moving south. Construction between Watford City and the Long X Bridge 15 miles away is set to be completed by the end of the fall. The next leg of work will be about six miles south of the bridge to the Highway 200 turnoff near Grassy Butte.

“[The North Dakota Department of Transportation] is working on that and they are working on the right-of-way and planning from [Highway] 200 down to I-94,” said Klewin.

Due to the rough terrain, Klewin said a six-mile portion of the road following the Long X Bridge will need to be funded separately in the future.

While the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway has the support of state officials and congressional delegates, including Sen. John Hoeven and Rep. Kelly Armstrong, finding funding remains the toughest issue for making the project a reality.

“In today’s world, when you deal with billions, it’s not a lot of money,” said Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, North Dakota Senate Appropriations chairman.

Klewin said the environmental studies are done up to I-94 near Belfield. While obtaining the right-of-way for the area could be a challenge, the project is seen as a positive in the region for its safety benefits.

“The added space is going to be extremely beneficial, especially for emergency responders,” said Phil Riely, Watford City mayor.

It will take some time for all of US-85 to be a four-lane highway. Klewin said they will soon start to look into the environmental studies south of Belfield. Klewin is also in talks with South Dakota officials to look at expanding US-85 from the North Dakota border to Spearfish. The corridor from there continues via I-90 east to Rapid City.

Another leg of expressway that will need to be expanded in the future includes Highway 2 west of Williston to Culbertson, Montana and Highway 16 from Culbertson to the Port of Raymond.

Klewin adds there are no discussions on turning US-85 into an interstate highway.

“The stories that have been out there that North Dakota is getting an interstate are not true. We’re working on a four-lane, divided highway through North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana,” said Klewin.