Crews nearing reopening of the intersection
Since crews closed Bottineau Boulevard (County Road 81) and the intersection with Brooklyn Boulevard (County Road 130/152) in late March, they have been hard at work in the area.
Activities include:
- Removing and hauling away the former roadway and materials
- Installing new city watermains, stormwater management systems and utilities
- Grading and improving soils for the new roadway
- Pouring new curbs and gutters
- Constructing new medians
Once crews are able to pave the new roadway and trail and add striping, we will be able to open up Bottineau and Brooklyn Boulevards through the intersection soon. Currently, project leaders anticipate the intersection opening the week of July 13.
Work will continue at intersection after reopening
When the intersection reopens, crews will continue to work in the area, including at the intersection and on connecting roadways.
You can expect lane closures, as well as sidewalk and trail impacts. We will maintain one lane of traffic in each direction and one side of sidewalks and trails. And, we will continue to maintain access to local businesses.
In addition, Bottineau Boulevard will fully close between 79th and 83rd avenues, as crews shift to the next stage of construction.
Utility and grading work wrapping up
In early June, crews completed the underground utility work, which included removing and installing thousands of feet of new watermain and storm sewer lines. This set the stage for the next milestone of the project, rebuilding the roadway.
During the last few weeks, crews subcut and graded the new intersection to ensure a sturdy foundation for the new roadway, curbs and trails.
Subcutting is a soil correction procedure that removes the poor soil beneath a roadway and replaces it with sand. Once the sand is placed, it is spread evenly and compacted to increase density and provide extra strength for the future road. It is then followed by placing aggregate, or crushed rocks, on top to complete grading the roadway for the new pavement.
Crews are expected to complete subcutting and grading work at the intersection week of June 22.
Crews move existing soils to finish subcutting efforts north of the intersection as they continue efforts to rebuild Bottineau Boulevard.
Crews grade Brooklyn Boulevard just west of Jolly Lane in preparation for concrete work and paving.
Concrete work continues; paving and striping to follow
Crews are constructing new concrete structures, such as curbs and gutters, sidewalks and pedestrian curb ramps, in areas where grading was completed. Weather permitting, crews is expected to substantially concrete work within the couple of weeks.
Following the concrete work, crews will pave the road and portions of new trails on Bottineau and Brooklyn boulevards. Then, crews will return to stripe the roadway.
Final construction phase to follow
Following the completion of the intersection work, crews will move north to begin reconstruction of Bottineau Boulevard between 79th and 83rd avenues. This will require a full closure of Bottineau Boulevard in this area as it will entail similar activities to those described above.
In addition to this work, crews will also re-stripe Bottineau Boulevard between Highway 169 and 85th Avenue, as well as construct a new trail connecting Lakeland and 85th avenues.
We will provide updates prior to the start of construction.
Staying safe
It is important to follow posted speed limits, signs and stay alert in this area. Traffic changes, construction crews, equipment and work areas near the roadway can demand extra attention from road users.