West Fargo, ND – 13th Ave & 9th Street

Challenge

In the late 1970s, the intersection of 13th Avenue South and 9th Street South in West Fargo was a rural 2-lane gravel roadway. The NDDOT installed a 4-lane divided urban roadway to accommodate the western growth. As traffic increased in the area, it was time for serious infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the occurring and future growth of both Fargo and West Fargo.

Solution

Moore Engineering designed and managed construction through all of the roadway improvements, including additional turn lanes, reconstruction of the north and south legs of the intersection, and added a traffic signal. Planning for the expanded growth in the next decade, they improved facilities with little extra cost so additional costs and disruption in the future could be minimized. For example, the proper signal base placement was crucial to avoid affecting the signal locations when adding additional lanes in the future.

Moore Engineering designed the many improvements in the intersection based on revised traffic operations studies as growth continued in the area. The improvements included the aforementioned signal with various revisions to timings, additional right turn lanes in all directions, revisions to lane configurations, and added medians for access control.

Outcome

As part of the last phase, Moore also designed a right turn lane and right-in, right-out approach west of the intersection for west bound traffic into a developing commercial area. These upgrades kept the desired level of service and improved safety for the travelling public, including pedestrians and bicyclists.