Mandan, North Dakota, sits just west of the state capital along the Missouri River and is home to approximately 25,000 residents. The city and the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) are undertaking a two-phase project along one of Mandan’s major routes: Memorial Highway.
Memorial Highway is a five-lane, undivided roadway with no sidewalks. The average daily traffic was 16,825 in 2023 and is projected to reach 21,710.
The project, however, is not focused on expanding the highway. The pavement is at the end of its useful life, the corridor experiences drainage issues, and the existing city utilities within it need to be repaired or replaced.
Before construction, much of the roadway corridor lacked a storm sewer collection system. The corridor is extremely flat, and the roadway sat on an elevated section with ditches on either side. The ditches had some culverts beneath the business approaches to slowly drain water out from the corridor.
“Often times during runoff and large storm events, water would fill the ditches and back up into business parking lots,” said David Finley, NDDOT Assistant Communication Director.
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There are also some safety and mobility issues in the project area. There are currently no sidewalks along the corridor, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization identified a system gap in the existing bike paths connecting the northwest and southeast ends of the corridor. Bus and transit services are available along the corridor, but there are no pull-over locations for passenger pickup.
“There’s a need to reduce conflict points to improve traffic flow due to the high number of access points to area business[es],” Finley said.
The project is designed to address roadway deficiencies, reduce conflict points, and improve multi-modal transportation along Memorial Highway. Upon completion of the project, Memorial Highway will have two through lanes in each direction, with a mixture of dedicated left-turn lanes with a median and dual left-turn lanes with no median.
Project elements include:
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- Pavement reconstruction with a new concrete curb and gutter pavement
- Stormwater improvements
- Full replacement of existing water lines and partial replacement of sanitary sewer lines
- Relocation of private utilities within the right of way
- Addition of a bike path with pedestrian crossings
- Installation of a transit pull-over location
- Aesthetic improvements, such as colored concrete at signalized intersections and raised medians, along with shrubs and plantings
The project area is just over 2.5 miles long and is broken into two portions — east and west — due to its size and to give more contractors the opportunity to bid. The eastern portion is 1.06 miles long, while the western portion is 1.47 miles. The work involved in each project is essentially the same.
Finley explained that the team began the eastern portion first to allow more time for permit acquisition on the western portion. The general contractor for the eastern portion is Reede Construction, while Northern Improvement Company is serving in that role for the western portion.
“The project can be broken up into four major components: businesses, concrete paving, underground utility installation, and water management,” Finley said.
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The first two components are based on maintaining access. The access challenges stem from the project area being in the middle of a busy area with industrial facilities, car dealerships, implement dealerships, restaurants, and retail businesses.
NDDOT is attuned to the concerns of the local business owners. The project’s requirements include maintaining access to all businesses throughout the project.
“This requires the contractors to work with each individual business to move or modify their business approaches — sometimes working extended and weekend hours in front of a business to complete the work,” Finley said.
The requirement also impacts the concrete paving work. The team is lowering the roadway, along with the curb and gutter, over 2 feet since the storm sewer system is replacing a ditch system. This reduction is having an impact on the approaches to area businesses.
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“We need to maintain access to businesses while paving in front of them with mainline paving and with approach paving,” Finley said.
The next two major project components address water and drainage issues in the area.
Before formally beginning construction, most of the utility companies had relocated. This has helped the team to maintain the schedule and avoid unexpected delays.
“For these projects, the major underground work was the storm sewer system, which fully replaced existing water lines and partially replaced sanitary sewer lines,” Finley said. “This work needs to be done before concrete paving. A majority of the sanitary and stormwater sewer lines were installed below the water table, requiring localized groundwater dewatering to lower it.”
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Finley said that the roadway being lowered by over 2 feet “essentially created a bathtub without a drain,” which caused an issue with water management. Teams needed to create a way to drain the tub.
“The contractors designed a temporary pumping system to pump water away from the side of the road to approved discharge locations,” he said.
The teams also removed water via groundwater dewatering wells. The vertical shafts were used to extract groundwater and lower the water table, thereby stabilizing the surrounding soil and allowing the team to safely reduce the road’s elevation.
The team is going to use auger boring equipment to install a stormwater trunk line. The trenchless technology system will enable the team to install an 84-inch pipe.
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Reede Construction Inc. and Northern Improvement Company (NIC) are both regional firms, with Reede based in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and Northern Improvement headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota.
In business since 1993, Reede is a road construction company that serves the Upper Midwest. NIC has been around since 1935 and is a highway, heavy, and municipal contractor.
Both NIC and Reede have a long history of tackling projects for NDDOT.
“They meet all the requirements we have for a general contractor, including being prequalified and holding the appropriate licenses and insurances,” Finley said.
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The eastern portion of the project has a construction budget just shy of $38 million. It is funded 48 percent by the federal government, 29 percent by the state, and 23 percent by the city.
The western portion of the project has a construction budget of approximately $69.5 million. It is funded 63 percent by the federal government, 11 percent by the state, and 26 percent by the city.
Currently, both projects are on budget.
Work on the eastern portion began in April 2025 and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2026. The western portion began in spring 2026 and is scheduled to be completed in fall 2027.
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Upon completion of the Memorial Highway project, the public will benefit from improved safety and more efficient traffic flow throughout the corridor. The project will enhance pedestrian facilities and include transit improvements, making the area more accessible for users.
Upgrades to water and sewer infrastructure, along with improved drainage systems, will support long-term reliability and resilience. In addition, aesthetic enhancements aim to create a more welcoming environment for the community.
- Owner/Engineer: North Dakota Department of Transportation
- General Contractor: Reede Construction Inc., Aberdeen, North Dakota
- Designer: HDR Inc., Omaha, Nebraska
- Other Contractors: Edling Electric, Bismarck, North Dakota; Industrial Builders Inc., West Fargo, North Dakota; Superior Contracting, West Fargo, North Dakota; Traffic Safety Services, Bismarck, North Dakota; Martin Construction, Dickinson, North Dakota; Northern Dewatering Inc., Rogers, Minnesota; Wagner Construction Inc., Bismarck, North Dakota; Weisz & Sons Contractors Inc., Bismarck, North Dakota
- Owner/Engineer: North Dakota Department of Transportation
- General Contractor: Northern Improvement Company, Fargo, North Dakota
- Designer: HDR Inc., Omaha, Nebraska
- Other Contractors: Edling Electric, Bismarck, North Dakota; Industrial Builders Inc., West Fargo, North Dakota; Superior Contracting, West Fargo, North Dakota; Traffic Safety Services, Bismarck, North Dakota; BEK Consulting, Dickinson, North Dakota; PCI Roads, Maple Grove, Minnesota; KLJ Engineering, Bismarck, North Dakota; Earth Systems, Bismarck, North Dakota; Dakota Fence, Bismarck, North Dakota; 3-D Specialties, West Fargo, North Dakota; Northstar Erosion Control, Bismarck, North Dakota; Northern Geotextiles, Fargo, North Dakota
