County road projects moving full steam ahead
By Ashleigh Plemper
Farmer Staff Writer
After the economy came to a screeching halt due to an outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) as the price of oil took a severe dive, construction for county roads in McKenzie County may have slowed down. But not for long as much is in the works for future additions and renovations to roadways throughout McKenzie County.
“We have guidelines from the state for construction work, and now that most of those restrictions are being lifted, we will be okay with the projects at this time,” says Suhail Kanwar, McKenzie County public works administrator/engineer.
With nine projects on the agenda under its Capital Improvement Projects program, Kanwar says County Road 37 is the top priority right now.
“We are already in the middle of construction with almost 30 percent of the project complete,” Kanwar says. “Our goal is to finish everything planned for this year.”
The County Road 37 and 125th Ave. project is located south of Watford City and will improve county roads from U.S. Highway 85 to North Dakota Highway 23, while the county is also improving 125th Ave. from North Dakota Highway 23 to County Road 34. Completion of the 21.1-mile project, which will convert the roadway from gravel to asphalt will cost an estimated $37 million.