Gov. Doug Burgum and Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford today congratulated the city of Minot on the completion of a three-year, nearly $35 million downtown infrastructure improvement project that spans approximately 26 blocks.
The massive project involved fully replacing or upgrading downtown infrastructure above and below ground, including replacing miles of water, sanitary and storm sewer pipes, concrete paved streets, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, benches, trash receptacles and street lighting in areas where some of the infrastructure was between 75 and 100 years old.
“Every community in North Dakota faces infrastructure maintenance and investment challenges,” Burgum said. “We commend Minot for investing in and maximizing the existing infrastructure in the heart of downtown, which helps create a healthy, vibrant and sustainable community that will benefit and attract businesses, residents and visitors for many years to come.”
Sanford joined U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp, Congressman Kevin Cramer, Minot Mayor Chuck Barney and other dignitaries for today’s ribbon cutting in downtown Minot.
“The completion of this project is a historic milestone for Minot, and it’s an opportunity to lead the state and be a shining example of smart, efficient infrastructure – a key tenet of the Main Street Initiative,” Sanford said. “This wise investment of state funds enabled the city to make flood protection upgrades that otherwise would have had to wait five to 15 years. Aligning state and federal funds in a way that maximized the long-term investment will result in a time and cost savings to the city.”
The multi-phase project is the largest reconstruction effort in the city’s history. In total, the construction, engineering and construction management will cost approximately $34.75 million. The project was funded by multiple sources, including $1.25 million from the State Water Commission, an $18 million disaster recovery grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, $4.34 million from the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery fund, as well as storm sewer and street lighting district special assessments, utility bonds and state surge funding.
“We are so very grateful for the federal and state support that we received on this project,” Barney said. “Without that level of commitment from the North Dakota congressional delegation, the State Water Commission and others, we wouldn’t have been able to pull off this project and our downtown public infrastructure would have continued to suffer as a result. Thank you to all those who helped make this a reality.”
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