Conrad, Hoeven Press Transportation Secretary to Support Energy Corridor Infrastructure

Press Release

In a call late yesterday with U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven made the case for several key infrastructure projects in North Dakota. The projects include an 11.5 mile bypass to relieve truck traffic in Williston, an expansion of the infrastructure surrounding the Minot Airport and a new railroad bridge connecting North Dakota and Minnesota over the Red River in Walsh County.

"Each of these projects represent critical needs for the people of our state," the Senators said in a joint statement. "Completion of the Northwest Williston Truck/Energy Corridor project would promote the efficient development of the Williston Basin oil fields by easing freight movement that threatens to slow our national energy development. At the same time, it will increase safety and save lives by rerouting trucks around the city. If we are to fully capitalize on the extent of the economic security, energy independence and job-creating benefits this development provides, assistance is needed on the federal level to ensure this energy can get to the marketplace."

The Northwest Williston Truck/Energy Corridor project involves the construction of an 11.5 mile bypass around the northwest part of Williston connecting US 2 and US 85. The North Dakota DOT is requesting more than $40 million in TIGER funding for the $48.3 million project.

"The increased activity in the Bakken has also caused infrastructure challenges for air travel into and out of Minot that simply must be addressed" the Senators said.

The Minot Airport project would widen and realign the main access road to the airport, which is the initial phase of a larger project that includes a new terminal and expanded parking. The $2.19 million grant request accounts for 60 percent of the total funding for this phase of the project.

Senators Conrad and Hoeven have helped secure TIGER grant funding for a bypass project in Minot and the rail line recovery in Devils Lake in previous years.

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