A proposed street project that could result in a major expansion of the Grand Forks Industrial Park moved another step forward Tuesday.
The City Council's Finance Committee gave staff permission to refine plans further for the extension of South 48th Street a mile south to 32nd Avenue South.
Consulting engineer Mike Korman said the extended street would be about the same width as South 42nd Street south of 17th Avenue South. The project also would include modifications to the Interstate 29 ramp off of 32nd to make access easier for trucks bearing the giant wind turbine blades from Industrial Park tenant LM Glasfiber, he said.
At this point, the estimated total cost is $10.6 million, with about half of that, $5.4 million, coming from the city or the state. The rest could be federal funding. A public hearing is scheduled for mid-October, with bids expected in November 2009 and construction in 2010.
The problem, as council member Curt Kreun put it, is "are we building something that may not be developed?"
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The city has had difficulty negotiating a price it can accept with landowners along the route of the new street. Without that land, the city would not be able to extend the Industrial Park, which it desperately wants to do because the park is running out of land for new development.
Council member Art Bakken told staff to keep working on the extension of 48th just in case the city can resolve its land shortage. "Run it up the poles, and see what happens," he said.
