Ribbon Cut on New Bypass - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Ribbon Cut on New Bypass

In a very quick outdoor ceremony, the ribbon was cut this afternoon celebrating the completion of Minot's northeast bypass.

The seven miles stretch of highway is designed to reduce traffic congestion in Minot and support the growing intermodal shipping and industrial parks in that area.

Senator John Hoeven, who worked to secure a 14.3 million dollar federal grant for the project, said without involvement of the Federal Department of Transportation, local governments, the BNSF Railway, and the State the project wouldn't have been possible.

Hoeven said, at times the cards were stacked against the project but supporters rallied together to secure the federal funding.

(Sen. John Hoeven, (R) North Dakota) Maybe that's the difference when it comes to North Dakota. In North Dakota once you understand what needs to be done we just do it and I think we surprised them a little bit at the Federal Transportation, we got everything in and of course then they were committed."

The 11-hundred foot long bridge portion of the bypass project is scheduled to be completed next year.