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More of Fargo's 52nd Avenue to close, while 19th Avenue North to reopen

19th Avenue West Project side overview.jpg
The 19th Avenue North reconstruction project is almost complete. This is the new four-lane road, expected to reopen later this week., looking west. Photo courtesy of KLG Engineering

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second in a weekly series of reports on how metro road projects are advancing and a look at any changes in traffic patterns that can help drivers navigate the 2019 construction season better. We'll look at major project updates each week as well as some other smaller projects that may affect drivers. The report will be online each Sunday night and in Monday's print edition.

FARGO — As work moves westward on expanding 52nd Avenue in far south Fargo to a four-lane road, it will mean closing down the thoroughfare at Veterans Boulevard on Thursday, June 20.

There will still be access to businesses and the Deer Creek and Rocking Horse neighborhoods because a temporary road heading west has been constructed on the northwest side of the Veterans Boulevard intersection. However, traffic will no longer be able to pass through on 52nd Avenue all the way to Sheyenne Street.

The cities of Fargo and West Fargo coordinated the closing of the road to coincide with the opening of 40th Avenue South at its intersection with Sheyenne Street on Saturday, June 15.

Residents in the Deer Creek neighborhood are urged to use County Road 17 to the west to enter their neighborhood as the preferred detour route.

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In a few weeks, the 32nd Avenue South intersection with Sheyenne Street will reopen further providing better east-west access for residents in the southwest part of Fargo and West Fargo.. Crews are working on median paving, curb and gutter and street lighting over the next few weeks to get the 32nd Avenue crossing open.

In the other direction from that project, 19th Avenue North in far north Fargo will reopen to traffic this week. The multiyear project has involved making the roadway into four lanes together with a realignment on the roadway to allow for an underpass in that area in the far distant future.

All that remains on 19th Avenue is some cleanup and signal lights work. The avenue is now complete from Interstate 29 near the Hector International Airport to 57th Street North by the Fargo Horse Park. The road serves an expanding industrial park in that area as well as the horse park.

Here's a look at updates on other major metro projects:

  • Main Avenue: The intersection of Fourth Street and Main Avenue near the Gateway Cenex Service Center and Fryn' Pan Family Restaurant in Fargo will open Monday morning, June 24, providing another outlet for residents traveling north and south to the downtown area. Contractors are paving the roadway to the east of Fourth Street to near Second Street and reported it will be done by the end of the week. Once that concrete achieves designed strength, that section of Main Avenue will also reopen. Crews will also extend the work zone west beginning Monday, June 17, on underground utility work in front of Wells Fargo Bank and Bank of the West. Access to the banks will be from First Avenue South, and a temporary driveway has been put in on Broadway for the parking lot on the north side of the avenue. Both Fourth Street and Broadway will be open to north-south traffic for possibly up to three weeks before work begins on the Broadway intersection resulting in its closure. There will be a public meeting to discuss the Main Avenue project on Thursday, June 20, from 11:30 a.m. to noon at The Depot at 701 Main Ave.

  • 10th Street North in Fargo: Work is completed on the utility work in the underpass, and paving work will start this week. However, the opening of the street has been delayed from the end of June to mid-July because the underground work took longer than expected. Both lanes have reopened north of the underpass on the one-way street as driveway and landscaping work is complete.
  • Cass County Road 17 in Horace: Grading has been completed on the roundabout in Horace with curb and gutter work next on the agenda. Also dirt work is beginning on 76th Avenue to the east of the roundabout where the street is being rebuilt. There is a temporary road in that area to the west providing access south and north out of Horace.

I94 & Sheyenne Street Interchange 2.jpg
This drone photo shows how some of the new exits and entrances onto Interstate 94 from Sheyenne Street will look like once the interchange is completed. Photo courtesy of KLJ Engineering

  • Interstate 94 interchange in West Fargo: Lane reductions continue where the Interstate 94 interchange is being improved. Contractors made progress this week by grading one of the two loops in the revamped interchange. Work on a pedestrian crossing is beginning this week. Also East Beaton Drive to the north of the interchange is closing this week.
  • Sheyenne Street in West Fargo: A Southwest Metro Work Zones public meeting is set for Friday, June 21, from 9 to 9:30 a.m. in the West Fargo Sports Arena at 520 32nd Ave. West. This is a chance for residents to listen to updates and ask questions. Meanwhile, work continues on the major two-year project in the growing southwest part of West Fargo.
  • 42nd Street in Fargo: Lanes were closed starting last Wednesday on 42nd Street in south Fargo from the bridge going over Interstate 94 southward to allow repairs to the street surface. The left lanes have been closed for now, but once repairs are made, the lane closures will transition to the outside lanes. Traffic speed in the congested area has been reduced to 25 mph. The work on the street is expected to be fully completed by Friday morning, June 21.
  • 25th Street South in Fargo: The right lanes in the 5600 block of are closed to traffic on the four-lane roadway to allow for repairs to the street surface by the Fargo Public Works Department. Once the repairs on the right lanes have been made, the lane closures will transition to the center lanes. The road work is expected to be completed by this coming Friday, June 21.
  • 11th Street in Moorhead: Work started Saturday, June 15, on 11th Street for maintenance work on the BNSF railway crossing. The crossing will be closed to traffic for this week. It is closed between Main Avenue and Center Avenue.

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