Interstate 29 concrete blowout in Fargo will add a couple weeks to repair project timeline

FARGO--Sunday night's concrete blowout on Interstate 29 at the 17th Avenue South overpass will add a couple more weeks to roadwork on that busy stretch of road and cost $100,000 to fix, a state Department of Transportation spokesman said Monday.

Assistant Fargo District Engineer Kevin Gorder said the fact that there is already a major road repair project going on in the area should make it easier for motorists.

Gorder said the I-29 repairs between the Wild Rice River exit and Main Avenue were expected to take up to six weeks to complete, but could now require up to eight weeks, putting the end to construction in mid- to late September.

"It will take us a little bit, because we have to do it in pieces," he said.

There is now a temporary patch on the southbound road surface, which tented up about 3 inches and crumbled due to expansion pressure, Gorder said.

Heat was the primary factor in the blowout, he said. While the road surface is not old for concrete, it is still 14 to 15 years old, so problems and cracks will start to appear.

The blowouts, which can create potholes and leave debris on the road surface, normally occur in June when the region gets its first hot days. Blowouts at the end of July are unusual, he said.

Gorder said most of the interstate concrete is 11 to 12 inches thick, while concrete on the bridge is 8 inches thick.

"The bridge is what ended up giving out," he said.

But the damage is superficial.

"It doesn't affect the load-carrying. The bridge is completely safe to drive on," Gorder said.

Three lanes of southbound I-29 were in use Monday while the far left-hand lane was being worked on, he said.

On the Minnesota side, there was one road issue on Interstate 94 near Downer, a state Department of Transportation spokesman said.

Jerimiah Moerke, public affairs coordinator for MnDOT's District 4, which encompasses 12 of the state's west-central counties, said crews milled down asphalt that had buckled and they are keeping an eye on the spot.

Otherwise, Moerke said he can't remember a serious road blowout in his 2½ years on the job.