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Progress
Repairing Street Lights/Intersection Signals
Updated on 7/27/2012
Crews finish with fourth intersection signal repair
Crews from Main Electric in Minot finished another intersection signal repair by the last weekend in July. Work on the signal at 16th Street and 4th Avenue NW is now complete and marks the fourth permanently repaired flood-damaged signal in the past two weeks.
"We would urge drivers to use extra caution as they approach these signals that are being repaired and restored to their pre-flood, fully operational mode," said Stephanie Harman, traffic engineer for the City of Minot.
The scheduled signal replacement project will continue over the next six weeks at the following intersections, in approximate priority order:
- 3rd Ave. NW and 6th St. NW
- 13th St. SE and Burdick Expressway
- 6th St. SW and 2nd Ave. SW
- 8th St. NW and University Ave.
- 3rd St. SE and Central Ave.
- 9th St. SE and Burdick Expressway
The North Dakota Department of Transportation in partnership with the City of Minot is responsible for the traffic signal replacement project as the damaged signals are along federal-aid roads and could not be permanently fixed using FEMA funds.
The project will also include repairing five pedestrian crossing flashers and one flashing light signal in the flood zone.
Updated on 5/23/2012
NDDOT moving forward on repairs to Minot flooded street lights along federal-aid roads
The repair of 200 street lights in Minot damaged by the 2011 Mouse River flood will start this summer, cost just over $180,000 and is scheduled to be finished by fall 2012.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation in partnership with the City of Minot is responsible for the lighting system restoration project as the damaged lights are along federal-aid roads and could not be repaired using FEMA funds. The City of Minot must follow state and federal highway procedures and standards.
"Having these changes done the way we did was the prudent step to take," said Lance Meyer, city engineer for the City of Minot. "These street lights are all located on major roads in the valley that require the City to follow a different set of rules in making repairs."
The lighting system restoration project will require crews to repair 21 different feed points throughout the City of Minot and will repair lights along portions of the following roads:
- Burdick Expressway
- 6th Street/8th Street West
- University Avenue
- 4th Avenue North/Railway Avenue
- 3rd Street East
- 16th Street West
- 2nd Avenue Southwest
- 27th Street Southeast
- 8th Avenue Southeast
The repairs will be paid for by emergency relief Federal Highway Administration funds, at 66% of the cost, with the City picking up the remaining cost. The City plans to pay for its portion through sales tax major projects. As the intersection signals are on federal-aid routes, none of the repairs are eligible for FEMA reimbursement.
The NDDOT has identified Strata Corporation, with a regional office in Minot, as the apparent low bidder on the project.
Updated on 3/29/2012
NDDOT moving forward on permanent repairs to 10 Minot flooded intersection signals
The permanent repair of 10 intersection signals in Minot damaged by the 2011 Mouse River flood will start this spring, cost just over $350,000 and is scheduled to be finished by fall 2012.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation in partnership with the City of Minot is responsible for the traffic signal replacement project as the damaged signals are along federal-aid roads and could not be permanently fixed using FEMA funds. The City of Minot must follow state and federal highway procedures and standards.
"Having these changes done the way we did was the prudent step to take," said Lance Meyer, city engineer for the City of Minot. "These are all located on major roads in the valley that require the City to follow a different set of rules in making permanent repairs."
Last summer the City was allowed to make temporary repairs to a number of these intersections; turning some into four-way stops (with stop signs), putting others on temporary four-way red flashing lights and covering others with temporarily-out-of-service signs.
The signal replacement project will take place at the following intersections:
- 27th St. SE and Burdick Expressway
- 8th Ave. SE and Burdick Expressway
- 13th St. SE and Burdick Expressway
- 9th St. SE and Burdick Expressway
- 3rd St. SE and Central Ave.
- 6th St. SW and 2nd Ave. SW
- 3rd Ave. NW and 6th St. NW
- 8th St. NW and University Ave.
- 4th Ave. NW and 16th St. NW
- 2nd Ave. SW and 16th St. SW
The repairs will be paid for by emergency relief Federal Highway Administration funds, at 66% of the cost, with the City picking up the remaining cost. The City plans to pay for its portion through sales tax capital infrastructure highway reserves. As the intersection signals are on federal-aid routes, none of the repairs are eligible for FEMA reimbursement.
The NDDOT has identified Main Electric of Minot as the apparent low bidder on the project. The rules of the contract state that Main Electric will be allowed to work at all sites simultaneously but will be required to limit partial road closures to a maximum of three sites at a time. Two-way traffic at these intersections will be maintained at all times.
The project will also include repairing five pedestrian crossing signals and one flashing light signal in the flood zone.
Construction bids for permanent repairs to street lights along federal-aid roads are set to take place in mid-May and would cover the repair of close to 200 street lights damaged by the flood.
Information from 1/16/2012
City of Minot street lights and intersection signals were damaged in the 2011 flood. City engineers identified at least 22 electrical hub feed points for lights and signals impacted by the Mouse River.
In order to expedite repairs and better facilitate FEMA reimbursement or assistance from federal and/or state dollars to fix the affected lights and signals, the City divided the repairs into two separate categories:
1) Local streets, which are city-maintained roads and
2) Federal aid roads, which are those roads that are largely supported by budgets outside of the City of Minot.
Local Street Lighting
With the help of CDM Smith, a disaster consultant hired to assist with recovery, City of Minot crews began work in August identifying the areas impacted and preparing documents necessary to bid out the project to an electrical company. In November 2011, the Minot City Council approved a $31,000 contract with Main Electric of Minot to repair the eight feed points that serve 58 lights or pedestrian crossing flashers. As of early January 2012, the contractor was able to repair all but 10 of these lights/flashers.
The lights being worked on as part of this project include the following areas:
• South side of old 8th St. NW Bridge,
• Alley between 7th St. and 8th St. NW,
• 7th Ave. and 24th St. SW,
• 3101 Valley St.,
• North side of ND State Fairgrounds and
• South side of ND State Fairgrounds.
CDM and the City of Minot are working on recommendations for a new scope of work to get the repairs done on unrepaired lights outside of the initial design as quickly as possible.
Federal Aid Road Lighting/Intersection Signals
Work to permanently fix lighting and intersection signals on federal aid roads reached an important step in early January 2012. It has taken several months to organize data related to the level of damage along these roads, including, intersection signals, street lights, roads, curbs, landscaping and other elements. After compiling this information, the City along with CDM and Kadrmas, Lee and Jackson (a local engineering firm) submitted a project proposal to the ND Department of Transportation and the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. This proposal, in this particular format, is necessary to ensure maximum opportunity for reimbursement or support from FEMA and Federal Highway funds. This project would include work on 17 feed points that are hubs for more than 200 lights along roads like Burdick Expressway, 16th St., 4th Ave. and others.
The City expects to be able to bid out the street light and intersection signal portion of the project this spring, pending funding approval.
Intersection Signal Repairs
This summer, after travel was allowed in flood-impacted areas, the City took necessary steps to make intersections where lights or feed boxes were under water as safe as possible.
10 of the 51 intersection signals maintained by the City of Minot were damaged as a result of the flood. Of these 10 systems, four are on a temporary four-way red flashing light, one is currently a four-way stop (with stop signs), two have been repaired to working condition and three have been covered (temporarily out of service). The decision to handle the signals in this fashion was made in the interest of driving safety at these intersections.
The red flashing four-way stops cannot be changed to fully operational mode; the metal boxes and the wiring within them were damaged beyond repair and need to be fully replaced to restore the signals. The repairs will be initiated in the spring, when the weather is more conducive to repairs.
Did You Know?
The City of Minot's street lighting system consists of both Xcel Energy-owned lights and City-owned lights. There are currently about 1,100 Xcel lights and 2,000 City lights in the system. Also, approximately 330 lights in the City's street lighting system are Verendrye Electric-owned lights. For the majority, the lights maintained and owned by the City are on metal posts.
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