Truck traffic keeps intersection closed
By Jerry W. Kram
With just six weeks left in the projected timeline for the Main Street reconstruction project, some community members are starting to wonder if it will ever end. Roger Watson, Construction superintendent for Marschuetz Construction, fielded questions from area business owners at the regular informational public meeting held every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the New Town City Hall.
One of the primary questions people had for Watson was why the intersection of Main Street and N.D. Highway 1804 couldn’t be opened. Watson said the lack of traffic control made it too dangerous for his workers because truck drivers would try to go through and ignore signs directing them to the bypass.
"If you can tell me how to do it, I would do it," Watson said. "We just can’t keep the trucks out of there. They try to come through now (with road closed signs in place). We open it up then you will have all these trucks getting diverted onto your residential streets and I don’t think anyone wants that."
An alternative route out of New Town opened Thursday, Sept. 3. The city completed the College Drive extension and now the street is open for traffic from the entrance to the Elbowoods Clinic north to the bypass.
