FARGO — Prior to December 1969, Fargo's University Drive and 10th Street between 13th Avenue South and 19th Avenue North were two-way streets.
That changed in late 1969, when both of the north-south thoroughfares became one-way streets.
Now, a corridor study currently in its early stages is taking a look at both University Drive and 10th Street to determine how well the roadways are serving Fargo's core neighborhoods.
And over the next six to nine months, that study is expected to visit the question of whether Fargo should revert University Drive and 10th Street back into two-way streets.
That's according to Jeremy Gorden, transportation engineer with the city of Fargo.
ADVERTISEMENT
Such a change would be a large undertaking and it isn't known at this time whether the city will take such a step, he said.
If such a change is decided, Gorden said it's unlikely a two-way conversion project would start before 2028, or even later.
Gorden, along with Nicole Crutchfield, Fargo's planning director, updated the Fargo City Commission on the status of the corridor study during its Monday night meeting.
According to Gorden, the study will be a two-year effort that will be broken into two phases, with the first round of public outreach starting in July.
That effort is to include direct outreach to residents, business owners and major institutions along the corridor.
The outreach activity is intended to lead to findings that will result in recommendations for further consideration by city commissioners, according to Gorden, who said questions to be asked of members of the public will include things like how well the roads are working today and how things might be changed in the future.
Crutchfield said studying corridor needs now puts the city in line for possible future funding from the federal government.
She said the public outreach will include knocking on doors as well as small group discussions.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to a story that appeared in The Forum on Dec. 14, 1969, two-way traffic was to begin on University Drive and 10th Street the next day.