Page through a list of potential improvements to Bygland Road in East Grand Forks and the possibilities seem endless.
The road is under the microscope of Metropolitan Planning Organization officials, who are researching ways to alleviate concerns residents have with the road, including too much traffic, a lack of turn lanes and not enough stoplights.
"What we're going to talk about is options. Ideas and options to address some issues we've heard of," Mike Anderson, senior traffic engineer with Alliant Engineering, said at a Thursday open house.
Alliant and the MPO are conducting a study on the corridor, and expects to release a final version in November.
A majority of residents participating in a survey this spring said they used the road more than twice a day, with about 37 percent noting they drove on the street five times or more daily.
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Of the 40 people that responded, 33 said they lived in the Point, referring to residential part of East Grand Forks southwest of Bygland.
In addition to problems for drivers, residents also identified issues in the survey faced by pedestrians and bicyclists. Providing a safer means to cross the road and a lane for bikers were recurring themes among comments.
Some of these concerns could be addressed in the near future as the improvement projects range from immediate to long term.
Options include a variety of configurations for the presently two-lane road. Among the alternatives are the addition of a left-turn lane, parking lanes, bike lanes or a median in the middle of the road. Estimated price tags range from $70,000 to $1.7 million. Anderson said funding sources hadn't been identified yet for the project.
Several intersections along Bygland Road also could get a facelift. The installation of traffic signals or roundabouts are potential improvements considered for the street's intersections with Fifth Avenue South, 13th Avenue South and Rhinehart Drive.
Some of the short-term alterations to the road include adding bike lanes, parking lanes or turning lanes and converting the adjacent sidewalks to multi-use trails.
