03/20/2025 North Dakota Approves NDDOT Budget
The North Dakota Legislature is now in session and the bills have moved to the House and Senate Chambers after Crossover. The Transportation Bill 2012 is now over on the House side and the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway had good success with the Senate.
State Senate Approves NDDOT Budget including Funds for Hwy 85
Members of the ND Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously on February 21, 2025 to approve SB 2012, the biennial budget of the ND Department of Transportation, which includes a $100 million line item to pay for four-laning a six-mile section of Highway 85 south of the Long X Bridge the Bill also provided matching funds for the 55M grant for the Piece from Highway 200 to the Six Mile Long X section. The bill was then approved unanimously on the full ND Senate on February 24, 2025. The bill also directs NDDOT to prepare an environmental impact statement for the portion of Highway 85 from I-94 to the South Dakota border, and a section of Highway 2 between Williston and the Montana state line. The bill will now move to consideration by the ND House of Representatives.
Below is the status report for the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway prepared by the Ports to Plains Alliance (Joe Kiely)
South Dakota • Four-lane Divided Highway from Nebraska Stateline to I-90 at Rapid City • Interstate Highway (I-90) from Rapid City to Spearfish • Four-lane Divided Highway on US 85 from Spearfish to north of Belle Fourche • Two-Lane north of Belle Fourche to the North Dakota Stateline
North Dakota • Replaced the Lewis & Clark Bridge over the Missouri River near Williston • Replaced the Long X Bridge over the Little Missouri River • Completed an Environmental Impact Statement and received a Record of Decision to clear the National Environmental Policy Act requires on U.S. 85 from Williston south to I-94 (Belfield) • Replaced the Long X Bridge with four-lane replacement over the Little Missouri River • Completed Four-lane Divided Highway from Willison to Long X Bridge • Stabilized the Horseshoe Bend landslide near the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. • Completed Reliever Route at Willison, Alexander and Watford City • Started the survey, project development, utility engineering, permitting, and preliminary right of way planning for the segment between ND Highway 200 and Long X Bridge. • Received a $55 million discretionary grant from Federal Highway Administration for the construction of the four-lane facility between ND Highway 200 and reference point 120 (beginning of the badlands). Anticipated bid date in the Fall of 2025. • Started the survey, project development, utility engineering, permitting, and preliminary right of way planning for the segment between 1-94 and ND Highway 200.
Montana • Montana STIP 2024-2028 o BAINVILLE - EAST (PE II) (see Regionally Significant Project ? This Reconstruction project (6388001) is in design and construction is anticipated in Calendar Year TBD. The estimated cost for construction is $44,000,000. ? This project will add two additional lanes to US 2 between Bainville and the ND state line. The roadway will generally be a divided four-lane with limited areas of undivided where constraints prevent construction of a divided roadway. The existing bridge over Shotgun Creek near Bainville will be widened to accommodate the additional lanes. New bridges adjacent to the existing bridges will be constructed at the other two bridge locations to accommodate the additional lanes. Left turn lanes will be constructed at all public road approaches and median crossovers will be built at all private and field approach locations.
Cal Klewin Executive Director
Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Association
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10/28/2024 Highway 85 project completed : Watford City to Long X
Read more on Highway 85 project completed between Watford City and Long X at KFYR TV.
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10/25/2024 US 85 Ribbion Cutting
View Facebook video
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10/18/2024 New Interactive Google map available
New resource added. Google Interactive Map showing the path that the the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway will follow. It begins in Rapid City, SD and flows north to Canada via the Port of Raymond in Montana. Additional points of interest are included.
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09/26/2024 2024 Annual Conference Highlights
The 2024 Ports-to-Plains Alliance Conference was held September 10th-12th in beautiful Dickinson, North Dakota. Our theme this year was titled “Connecting North America” and with participants coming from eight different states and Canada, that is exactly what we did!
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09/13/2024 Community Award to Theodore Roosevelt Expressway
Williston, ND - Williston Economic Development (WED) and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) held their annual awards banquet on Friday, September 13th at the Grand Williston Hotel and Conference Center in Williston. About 170 people attended the celebratory event. Each year, the offices of WED and SBDC select finalists for a minimum of nine different categories. Members of the Williston STAR Fund Board of Directors, Williston City Commission, and the Western Region Economic Development (WRED) Board of Directors vote on the nominees and the winners are recognized at the awards banquet.
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07/23/2024 Ports to Plains Alliance to Hold Annual Conference in Dickinson North Dakota
Dickinson to host Ports-to-Plains Alliance conference, aims to boost regional growth.
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05/25/2024 NDDOT
NDDOT Director Outlines Western ND Work
Flex Grants, Hwy 85 Four-Lane, Marley Crossing
The bright future for North Dakota's oil industry was reflected this week in a presentation by ND Department of Transportation Director Ron Henke, who provided an update on major road construction projects in western North Dakota at this week's Energy Transportation Roundtable.
Henke explained NDDOT's effort to persuade the legislature to create a Flexible Transportation Fund. He said the $222.5 million put into the fund can be spent off the state highway system, supporting projects in counties, cities and townships throughout the state. The department awarded 66 grants totaling $84 million earlier this year. But Henke said the best part of the fund is that it will receive a continuing appropriation from the legislature.
Click here to listen to Henke's comments.
Henke also provided an update on the effort to four-lane the entire length of Highway 85 between Watford City and Interstate 94 (click here to see map). He said the piece between Watford City and the LongX Bridge will be completed this year, and the state has received a $55 million federal grant for the stretch from about six miles south of the bridge, south to the junction with Highway 200. Henke said because construction is so expensive in the rugged terrain south of the bridge, the state had decided to skip over it for now.
Click here to listen to Henke's comments.
NDDOT was directed by the legislature to come up with a plan to complete the widening of Highway 85 to the Interstate, and must submit its findings by August 1.
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03/18/2024 Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Update DC Fly In
Theodore Roosevelt Expressway and Ports to Plains Alliance.
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02/27/2024 Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Update DC Fly In
Theodore Roosevelt Expressway
Ports to Plains Washington DC Fly In/Board Report
March 4-7
US 85 Updates February 2024
Information provided to the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Association by North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT)
• State Gets $55M Federal Grant for Highway 85
Supports Four-Lane from Long X Bridge to Hwy 200
• The second year of construction will continue in 2024 on the segment between the Long X Bridge and Watford City.
• The roadway should be substantially complete by the Fall of 2024.
Project Development between ND 200 and Long X Bridge
• Project Development activities are ongoing on the segment between ND 200 and Long X Bridge. This includes design engineering, permitting, right of way acquisition and utility relocations.
• NDDOT is working through the grant requirements, grant agreement, and matching funding plan for construction of the segment just north of ND 200 to just south of the Badlands.
• Development an overall funding plan for the remaining work on US 85 as requested by the Legislature.
• The unfunded segments for construction are between I-94 and ND 200 and the Badlands segment south of Long X Bridge.
• NDOT is working on a request for proposals (RFP) to hire a consultant to start the project development and design engineering for the segments between I-94 and ND 200.
Other
• North Dakota is excited about hosting the 2024 Ports-to-Plains Conference in Dickinson. Preliminary planning is being discussed with in the Community and this spring will begin full planning duties with Ports to Plains.
• I have also included in this report the Connecting National Treasures Document we have shared with the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Congressional Members ((North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana)
• Final 2023 Oversize/Overweight Permit Comparison
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