The state Department of Transportation is looking into two recent landslides at the site of an Interstate 94 interchange construction project at Ninth Street East in West Fargo.
The landslides occurred on two dirt piles sitting to the sides of the interstate. They will help support an overpass slated for construction next year.
West Fargo officials are anxious to see if the landslides will hamper construction efforts, which could affect future development around the interchange.
"I am concerned it could be pushed back," Mayor Rich Mattern said Thursday of the construction. The city wants to know what the next steps will be to fix the dirt piles and if there will be delays, he said.
Last week, the dirt slid from the pile on the south side of the interstate. This week, dirt slid from the northside's pile, which created a 500-foot crack.
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Kevin Gorder of the DOT's Fargo office said Thursday that officials are assessing the landslides before taking further action.
In the meantime, the dirt piles will sit and continue to settle as intended to prevent the future overpass from shifting, Gorder said.
If construction is delayed, that could mean development around the interchange will also be affected, Mattern said.
The West Fargo City Commission voted unanimously last week to send a letter to state and federal officials - including the DOT - requesting simultaneous construction of the interchange's overpass and its ramps.
"Those ramps are really important," Mattern said. "We're not going to see retail development there until ramps are in place."
Gorder said construction of the ramps is not included in the project's four-year plan, which means they may not be built until 2012. Mattern said the letter could be sent out next week after city officials hear updates on the landslides.
Gorder said assessments of the landslides could take up to a month, but are likely not to delay the project. "Right now, we're still confident we can open up in 2008."
Readers can reach Forum reporter Benny Polacca at (701) 241-5504 N.D. DOT looks into I-94 site landslides Benny Polacca 20071012
