12.08.23

ND Delegation Secures $55 Million For Expansion Of Theodore Roosevelt Expressway

BISMARCK, N.D. – Senators John Hoeven, Kevin Cramer and Congressman Kelly Armstrong today announced a $55 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the expansion of US Highway 85, also known as the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway, in western North Dakota. The funding will be used to widen more than 13 miles of the roadway in McKenzie County from two lanes to four lanes, as well as to widen shoulders and reduce roadway curves from Watford City to I-94.

Earlier this year, the delegation outlined the project’s benefits in improving transportation efficiency and safety to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The delegation worked to secure the funding, which was awarded under the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) program, a highly competitive program that during this application window, awarded $1 for every $10 in applications received by DOT.

“The Theodore Roosevelt Expressway is the primary north-south roadway in western North Dakota, serving as a vital corridor to help connect our region’s energy and agricultural sectors to other parts of the country,” said Senator Hoeven, a member of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Committee. “We worked to advance this critical transportation project, as the existing two-lane highway is narrow and does not meet the needs of travelers and local industry. By expanding US 85 to four lanes, as well as widening shoulders and straightening the roadway, this project will help reduce traffic delays, saving time and money for the traveling public, while improving safety and supporting the region’s economic growth for years to come.”

“As Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I am especially pleased to see funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act come to the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway. The expressway stretches from Canada to South Dakota and connects us to states as far south as Texas. It is critically important to western North Dakota’s access and participation in interstate commerce. Widening the expressway will increase safety for local residents and travelers and support the efficient transportation of goods through the region,” said Senator Cramer.

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