WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) - Williams County will agree to preserve the yet-to-be chosen route for the next phase of Williston’s truck bypass for 10 years.
County commissioners recently agreed to preserve right of way for the rest of the truck route, but at least three commissioners are on record as opposing the two alternatives the state has so far brought forward, the Williston Herald (https://bit.ly/2gEPn5g) reported.
“As I recall, we did have some discussion about sending a letter to the state encouraging them to build the road on a section line because it would have far less impact on landowners,” Martin Hanson, one of the opposing commissioners, said. “We didn’t because we were assured the state would be more than willing to take landowner comments under advisement.”
Joe Wilke with the North Dakota Department of Transportation said no route has been chosen and won’t be until environmental studies are conducted. The routes can still be changed in the next phase of planning.
The state has already spent approximately $3.5 million on route-related studies. In order to finish the planning phase, the route must go through the National Environmental Policy processes, which will cost $1.5 million.
“We would salvage what we can,” Wilke said. “The surveys we’ve done, we’d be able to salvage some on cultural resources, but if we wanted to move forward quickly, it would slow up the process a bit. Probably a year and a half.”
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Information from: Williston Herald, https://www.willistonherald.com
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