South-end bypass still possible, faces a few challenges
May 15, 2012 at 5:00 pm in Grand Forks Herald
Twenty-one years ago, Roland Young presented the idea of building a south-end bypass around Grand Forks on Merrifield Road. Sixteen years ago, the local planning office agreed, putting the concept into its long-range transportation plan. His idea’s inclusion in the plan is no longer enough for the 83-year-old Young. He wants the work moved to the front burner. Continue Reading
I thought that overpass by Merrifield was supposed to be ear marked to get ramps some time soon. That little industrial park out there and the sopuds in Merrifield could definately use that as a full on/off overpass…
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
24 
2
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
5 
30
““He also cites that Fargo has built six bridges over the ——-> Red <——–"
So, Mr. Young is right. You are wrong. The Red Lake River is not the Red River.
Reading comprehension- it's a good thing.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
28 
3
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
3 
14
It also states that Grand Forks has only built one bridge since 1967. Which is true. The Red Lake River is entirely in East Grand Forks, therefore all of EGF and Minnesota’s responsibilty.
Like or Dislike:
15 
1
It’s called the GF/EGF Metro Planning Commission for a reason.
Like or Dislike:
2 
8
Young’s reason for suggesting a Merrifield Rd. bridge is made because of the existence of the RLR bridge from 220 to US 2. The logic is that it makes it possible for beet trucks to bypass GF/EGF residential areas on both south sides when going to & from CS.
Like or Dislike:
4 
3
So do all the disagreers think Fargo builds bridges to get to the Moorhead CS plant & not because Moorhead is 40,000 people?
Like or Dislike:
1 
2
The city fo grand forks would be better served with a bridge crossing the red off of 32nd ave south. More people would use this route. What’s the point of building a bridge off of merrifield approx 5 miles north of the already existing thompson bridge?
Hot debate. What do you think?
21 
9
First it woud give better access to the ag business park out there plus the spud warehouses in Merrifield and second it would give a more direct route to Crystal without trucks having to go through town and across the Kennedy….I haven’t looked at a map so I’m not sure if the Thompson bridge gives very quick access to that same road in MN…I think it sways east shortly after EGF.
As for 32nd….That’s pretty much dead at the starting gate. The GF residents from South Washington east have faught it tooth and nail when it’s been brought up, and the EGF residents don’t want it because I guess it’s too far away from the town to make it practical….They want a bridge somewhere around 24th if I remember right….And that’s an absolute no started…
Like or Dislike:
11 
4
I just got home from the Twin Cities. It would have been nice to use instead of having to drive through GF on my way home to EGF.
Like or Dislike:
11 
3
As I understand it, GF owned the property to build the bridge at 32nd; the most perfect location for a south-end river crossing. Our “City Planner” screwed the pooch. Again.
As is so typical, six whiners got their way, and the property was sold after the 32nd bridge project was abandoned.
Merrifield is better than no south-end bridge at all. (I’ve used the “Thompson” crossing many many times; it’s too far south and connects to the “wrong” highway.) A crossing at the Merrifield road (better yet–32nd, but I have no hope) that connects to Hwy 2 would be more useful than the Thompson crossing.
Like or Dislike:
15 
2
How about a tunnel to make 32nd nimbys happy?
Like or Dislike:
5 
6
Because the idea is to get beet trucks away from residential areas. A 32nd crossing wouldn’t accomplish that.
Like or Dislike:
8 
3
Your right about the thompson bridge it does head east to connect with 220. With that being said the connection they are talking about would be very close and make absolutly no sense to have 2 bridges to nowhere that close together.
Like or Dislike:
4 
8
The Merrifield Rd. would take trucks from GF which the Thompson Bridge doesn’t do enough of.
Like or Dislike:
8 
0
The thompson bridge does connect to highway 2. Imagine this you actually get to slow down and enjoy your drive down a county road. It than connects yoy on the correct side of crookston to keep going east and to top it all off it doesn’t take any longer than taking highway 2 when starting from the south side of grand forks.
Like or Dislike:
1 
5
Yeah. All roads lead to Rome, too.
Connecting to Hwy 2 (indirectly) (on the wrong side of Crookston, twenty-something miles away) isn’t what I had in mind. I’m thinking “Mallory” or nearby. You know…something useful.
Like or Dislike:
4 
0
Who’s going to pay for it?
Like or Dislike:
0 
6
Oil money?
Like or Dislike:
2 
3
32nd or 24th or no bridge at all! Why would’nt you actually connect the 2 cities to the shopping center of grand forks? Oh wait I forgot there is too much money in power in the south end of grand forks.
Like or Dislike:
4 
5
How do we get this to the main board?
Like or Dislike:
2 
1
If the goal is to get rid of beet truck traffic isn’t it as logical to argue for another bridge to the north of GF to take them around residential areas & on to the beet plant. It seems the main route from the N.& S. on I-29 to the beet plant is via Gateway
Like or Dislike:
3 
2
I remember talk about a bridge north of GF years ago. It was supposed to link with the interstate somewhere near Valley Golf Course.
Crookston and Thief River Falls both have truck bypasses. It’s time EGF did to but Minnesota is committed to other bridge projects into 2018…the last I read.
Like or Dislike:
5 
3
Economically why would you want to divert trucks and cars to bypass town? I would think you would want to send them straight through gateway and encourage them to stop for gas food groceries.
Like or Dislike:
0 
8
The goal is a bypass for trucks not necessarily cars. Gas stations & motels magically appear on bypasses. What is I-29 if not a by-pass of GF businesses. US 2 & US 81 used to go through the heart of GF. By-passes are an ongoing evolution as cities grow.
Like or Dislike:
8 
0
Spearman says something I can mostly agree with.
Just had to recognize the moment.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
Thank you Shurkey
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
You will still have ag traffic through the center of gf with a new bridge. A certain farmer has his shop on the north side and farms quite a chunk of land on the south side.
Like or Dislike:
2 
5
One farmer?
Like or Dislike:
4 
0
I still say slow them down and make them go through our towns. It takes what all of 10 minutes?
Like or Dislike:
2 
10
So I-29 shouldn’t have been built?
Like or Dislike:
4 
1
Ron……Tell you what….Go grab a heavy truck (Mines usually 43 to 45K cargo making it around 80k…..I thin Transystems might be less without doubles, but up there anyway) then drive from I29 to Crystal with something like 8 or 9 lights…..Then come back and tell me what a good idea it is….
Like or Dislike:
10 
0
The point is that often you just get up to speed when you hit another red light….Because unlike cars it takes loaded trucks a while to get up to speed so we’re always looking for viable bypass routes that keep us away from a load of stop lights…
Like or Dislike:
6 
0
ESpearman first of all you do not have beet trucks driving through residential areas. They either cross thompson bridge, take washington to downtown or cross the bridge on gateway. Adding the cost of another bridge 5 miles north of an existing bridge for a 3 week campaign would be the absolute complete waste of government money. How many fields are on the east side of I 29 north of county 9? Not enough to waste our money on. Use the cost to build something both the community and industry can use. Widen 32nd or 24th into egf and make it a main route like it should be since that is where all the growth is.
Like or Dislike:
4 
9
The point is there are residential areas within a block up & down the Wash. & Gateway routes. There are too many kids crossing those main drags to justify not finding a way to route trucks around town.
Like or Dislike:
4 
2
Actually Gateway which is the primary route since coming down Washington is one stop after another…..Really has very few people crossing it on foot ever…..Even down around the Wilder area I really haven’t seen much crossing because I think most of the kids use that tunnel. Gateway just never seems to have much foot traffic ever….I live at the other end so I go down it from time to time and really can’t recall when I’ve seen anyone crossing any of it on foot….
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Remember the tunnel is there because a kid got hit by a truck 25 yrs. ago at that spot. Hopefully the tunnel is well used. I’m afraid with 2 swimming pools along Gateway kids will be crossing at places other than the tunnels. How many have to die at spots like the airport crossing before we spend the money for overpasses & bypasses?
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
Ok…I’ll bite…Where’s another pool other than Riverside?
Like or Dislike:
0 
1
Ok…I wan’t thinking EGF….But that’s highway 2 not Gateway…..I’ve seen some cross there, but not often…Then again I really don’t go there enough to really know…
Like or Dislike:
0 
1
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
1 
12
It wouldn’t be primarily used just during harvest….Like TJ said…She would have used it as a quicker bypass to EGF coming from Fargo…..Like the old movie said…”If you build it…They will….Well you know the rest…
Like or Dislike:
8 
2
Ok tundra how does this sound ramps on merrifield to make truck access better and a north end bypass where all the industry is east of I 29 in these cities?
Like or Dislike:
0 
4
There already is a north end bypass. The Highway 81 exit down to Gateway…It cuts the lights in half.
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
Actually I’m not real sure if the bridge expense is really needed that much, but I do know that the Merrifield overpass does need ramps….Especially as the south end keeps growing. The drivers who aren’t from here get directed down 32nd to Washington and then over to the Merrifield road west….But us locals usually take Columbia….It wasn’t too bad before, but it’s getting a lot more traffic on there now days and a lot of it is from the school out there.
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
Ramps may be a solution for the merrifield overpass. It would allow trucks to create better routes. To build another bridge on the southside of grand forks for truck traffic just does not make much sense. Transysstem mainly sticks to the mn piles for egf and when the do take out of nd they seem to always go to the northern piles.
Like or Dislike:
1 
3
I guess I only see Transystem going to and from Hillboro. The other thing the ramps would provide would be a short cut for all those south end homes that keep popping up like dandelions. I think they would get popular really fast…
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
You do not need a bridge at the airport. There are plenty of safegaurds in place to make it a safe intersection. It has been ignorance and stupidity that have causes accidents out there.
Like or Dislike:
3 
3
Those warning light to let hyou know they are going to change has been a big help…Twenty years ago when I started out by hauling grain I went through there almost daily. They didn’t have those waring lights and that stop light was a huge problem for trucks. You could be approaching it with nobody on the side road, and then suddenly a car would be there and the damn light would suddenly cycle through for them….With a truck you always had to approach that area at about 35 mph…..
Even with the warning lights you have people trying to beat the warning when they’re set up specifically to get you to stop. That truck that killed those kids a few years ago probably had no excuse for not being able to stop in time. He took a plea so I’m guessing that was the case….
As for an overpass there…..Well there is a lot of traffic there now days. I wouldn’t be surprised if that north south road doesn’t get widened to four lanes up to 32nd and the same with 32nd because of the increased traffic. I saw this in Fargo where the locals kept taking a more direct back route rather than getting on the interstate until they finally set it up as a major by pass…….One that’s sprung up a lot of business along the way.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
Ron , listen to your logic just once. Isn’t it carelessness & stupidity that cause most fatalities. If there were plenty of safeguards those kids would still be alive. You can’t do away with stupid drivers so we spend our tax money to avoid accidents but of course in your world OUR government shouldn’t spend our money. That’s the real stupidity.
Like or Dislike:
2 
1
the majority of transystem trucks (80 to 90 percent) on the west side of the red go to hillsboro or drayton. It is more cost effective to use the extra trailer than to send trucks to egf. Crookston and egf has transsytem trucks focus on the minnesota piles where their truck length is restricted by mn law.
Like or Dislike:
0 
1
The guy ignored the warning lights and kept his foot on the accelorator with 80000 lbs running on 18 wheels. He was charged and convicted for his actions. It was carlessness not a lack of safegaurds.
Like or Dislike:
3 
1
They should spen money when and where it is neccessary to improve safe gaurds.
Like or Dislike:
0 
3
Exactly…now you’re getting it. Tundra and Spearman are right and you are w.ron.g again. Thanks for playing.
Like or Dislike:
5 
1
Who decides what is “necessary”?
Pretty obvious that the various agencies within the City of Grand Forks don’t have a clue.
Like or Dislike:
1 
1
Neccesary depends on what the traffic volume and freight industries dictate.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
As with anything involving politics, “Necessary” has only occasionally had a passing glance at “needed” and instead is in bed, humping and jumping with Personalities, Money, Public Opinion, Propaganda, Lies, and Budget Constraints.
Like or Dislike:
1 
1
The 1st time some high end dude or dudess flys in on a private jet and gets killed on their way into town @ that crossing we’ll see an overpass get built.
Like or Dislike:
1 
1
That’s basically how they got the warning lights…..I think the only hold up on an overpass has been the down sizing of the air base. I’m pretty sure if they still had the the force they used to have that there would have been an overpass put in there many years ago. I’m guessing they don’t see high enough numbers to get the ok for that extra expense.
It is damn sad but true that there always seem to have to be death before something is done to dangerous intersections…..Then again those warning light do work very well….Unfortunately drivers often do not work all that well…
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
T.j. I don’t know what is wrong. Tundra and I have had a civil conversation and have settled on many points. Let’s bring civility back to our conversations.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
I don’t know. I’ve been a bit crabby lately. I don’t know if I’ve worked it all out of my system yet or not. It might be possible for me to be civil but then again maybe not. I tell you what…I will give it a try…but I’m not promising anything.
Like or Dislike:
3 
2
A Merrifield interchange and bridge will make it easier for me to go from EGF to Fargo instead of the South side of Grand Forks…A 32nd or 24th Ave bridge would be better for inter-city commerce
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
So having to drive from a 65th Ave. bridge, i.e. Merrifield, back to 32nd Ave. is more inconvenient than driving for an hour to Fargo? With that kind of logic in EGF it’s no wonder it never grows.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Merrifield would be about 77th Ave. S. I think, still too close to make Fargo convenient in comparison to EGF as you suggest 1more.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0