GF council: 42nd Street underpass and land purchase

Grand Forks will continue to study five alternatives for a proposed 42nd Street underpass project at DeMers Avenue.

The city council agreed with a staff recommendation last night (Monday) to keep all options on the table…for now…as they continue to talk with state and federal highway officials. The plans range in cost from $44.6 million dollars to $54.4 million. Each has its own set of impacts to the Ray Richards Golf Course and a nearby gas station.

City Engineer Al Grasser the goal is to eventually narrow the list down.  “The goal is to try and get one or more of the stakeholders to give us a solid answer of what we can do.”

Grasser says obtaining public input is somewhat difficult with so many options on the table.

In other council action members agreed to purchase 17 acres of land off Highway 81 to make way for a storm water pond and lift station. The land is part of the recently annexed property on the north side that includes the Fufeng project site. The pond will cover 11.42 acres. The purchase price is $282,000.

Photo:  GF staff report