Mandan city commissioners on Tuesday approved moving forward with a controversial street and infrastructure project near Roosevelt Elementary School, after determining that resident opposition did not meet the legal requirements to halt the project. The decision came at the commission’s March 17 meeting, following a review of protests submitted by residents.
The City of Mandan’s Engineering Department had processed protests covering 45% of the land area affected by the proposed improvements. However, North Dakota Century Code 40-22-18 stipulates that protests must originate from at least 50% of the land area to successfully block a Street Improvement District project.
This marks a reversal from 2024, when a similar project proposal was successfully protested by 55% of the affected land area, effectively halting its implementation. Since that time, city officials have cited an increase in water main breaks and deteriorating road conditions as justification for revisiting the project. The current proposal carries an estimated cost of $18.2 million, and includes special assessments of up to $20,000 per household, a point of significant contention for residents.
The project will now proceed to the final design and bidding phases. City officials anticipate that, if bids are approved, construction could commence as early as this fall, with completion expected in 2027. The improvements will focus on replacing aging cast iron water mains and addressing other necessary repairs and upgrades to the street infrastructure, according to the City of Mandan.
Details about the project are available on an ArcGIS StoryMap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/48a4c4ffd0ad43499f9def46d60fde70.
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