Fargo-Moorhead may soon get a new highway bypass

Fargo, North Dakota – For transportation planners, a west metro perimeter motorway may be in the works. I-29 and I-94 would be joined by it. According to representatives of the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments (Metro COG), it would provide drivers with alternate routes. They claim that people have been talking about this for a while.

They claim that as the F-M metro grows, traffic needs on these metropolitan routes increase. They anticipate that the suggested alternate route will reduce trip times and traffic congestion in the metro area. According to the COG, a preliminary analysis of anticipated traffic flows reveals that the proposed perimeter route would be among the busiest in Cass County.

FM Area Diversion, a flood control project, is building a waterway west of the metro. According to the COG, bought land close to the waterway should be adequate for a freeway. Officials say it is crucial to determine whether the roadway is warranted and practicable in the near or distant future because that unwanted land will be sold back in the near future.

Since the population in the area is anticipated to grow quickly, the COG is asking the consultant to utilize a complete buildout scenario and 2045 as the planning horizon. It will be replaced if the travel demand model for 2050 is finished by then.