06/23/2025 Quarterly Report for June 2025
TRE Quarterly Report for June 2025
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05/09/2025 Legislative Update/ Mark your Calenders
Department of Transportation Appropriations
SB 2012 provides $2.72 billion in special and federal funds to the North Dakota Department of Transportation for the 2025–2027 biennium, supporting salaries, operations, capital assets, and infrastructure grants. The bill establishes a Legacy Earnings Fund, funded by a portion of the Legacy Fund earnings, with allocations to debt service, the Highway Fund, and property tax relief. It overhauls the Flexible Transportation Fund and revises oil and gas tax distributions to prioritize infrastructure investments in non-oil-producing counties, including the creation of separate municipal and county/township infrastructure funds ($40 million). The bill also includes one-time funding for major highway projects ($287 million), facility improvements ($5.97 million), equipment upgrades ($5.8 million), and a passenger rail planning grant ($150,000).
Additional provisions authorize the completion of the U.S. Highway 85 four-lane project. The funding for Hwy 85 is $155 million from SIIF. $55 million is dedicated to match the federal grant of $55 million for the 13 mile stretch from the top of the breaks to the intersection of highway 200 to Killdeer. The other $100 million is to complete the 6.5 mile stretch from the Long X Bridge to the top of the breaks. NDDOT is planning to bid the projects this fall or early next year to start construction in 2026 and continuing into 2027 for completion.
The Bill also has language to start the NEPA (environmental) from I-94 at Belfield to the South Dakota Border, once the project nears completion from Highway 200 to I-94.
This is a huge step forward, Thanks to the 2025 Legislative Session!!!
Mark your Calendars
The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) will host public information meetings Wednesday, May 28, 2025, and Thursday May 29, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. Mountain Time to discuss proposed improvements to US 85 from the I-94 junction to the ND 200 junction.
The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 28, at the Fairfield Fire Hall, 12823 20th Street SW, in Fairfield. The second meeting will be held on Thursday, May 29 at the Belfield Memorial Hall, 107 2nd Avenue NE, in Belfield. Both meetings will be an open house format with a formal presentation at 5:30 pm Mountain Time.
The project consists of widening US 85 from two lanes to four lanes.
Representatives from the NDDOT and Apex Engineering Group will be on hand to answer questions and discuss concerns.
Information is also available on the project page website at US 85 Expansion (I-94 to Watford City Bypass) | NDDOT
The NDDOT will consider every request for reasonable accommodation to provide an accessible meeting facility or other accommodation for people with disabilities. Language interpretation and translation services will be available upon request for this meeting.
To request accommodations, contact Heather Christianson, Civil Rights Division, NDDOT, at 701-328-2978 or civilrights@nd.gov. TTY users may use Relay North Dakota at 711 or 1-800-366-6888. SECTION 19.
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04/16/2025 Great to be joined by Senator Ted Cruz to celebrate the expansion of the I-27 Ports-to-Plains
Facebook video
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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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