Bid Awarded for Highway 85 Widening
Friday, February 24, 2023

The ND Department of Transportation has awarded a a contract to construct the four-lane divided highway between Watford City and the Long X Bridge to Central Specialties Inc.

The Alexandria, Minnesota-based contractor submitted the low bid of $77,229,503 for the 10.29 miles of Highway 85 between the Long X Bridge and the Watford City Bypass. The southern part of the project runs through the Little Missouri Badlands, an area with highly-eroded buttes and hillsides composed of soft silts and clays with sparse vegetation. Grading work is expected to begin this spring.

NDDOT has already upgraded Hwy 85 to a four-lane divided highway from Williston to Watford City, including reliever routes, and the replacement of the Lewis and Clark Bridge over the Missouri River. The Long X Bridge has already been upgraded to four-lanes with clearance for freight movements.

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