Moorhead approves $3.3M Center Avenue reconstruction plan with business access strategies

The Moorhead City Council reviewed and approved resolutions June 8 to award the contract and accept grant funding for the Center Avenue reconstruction (Trunk Highway 10) from 8th to 10th Street, a project the city estimates at about $3.3 million.

Engineer Clay Lexon told the council the project will reduce Center Avenue from five lanes to three (one travel lane in each direction plus a center turn lane), add a bike trail along the north side, provide limited on-street parking on the south side in spots, upgrade lighting and landscaping, and generally extend improvements from previous work to the river. "We would have a continuous street section or street segment from the river all the way to the 11th Street underpass," Lexon said.

To limit disruption and speed completion, the city negotiated five temporary easements and two permits from BNSF to use connected rear parking areas for business access during construction; the city will also repair pavement in some of those shared access areas. Lexon said the contract allows up to 90 days for substantial completion and includes an intermediate completion target to open 8th–9th Street within 50 days; the city has discussed incentives and potential additional mobilization funding with the contractor to shorten the schedule.

Lexon gave the funding breakdown: total project cost estimated at approximately $3.3 million, with $750,000 expected from Local Partnership Program (LPP) grant funds, $155,000 from an Active Transportation (AT) program grant, and roughly $2.4 million from state aid maintenance funds. He emphasized there are no special assessments on individual properties for the project.

Council members asked about outreach and penalties. Lexon said the city will hold weekly meetings with businesses during construction and that the contract includes standard liquidated damages for missed substantial-completion dates; early-completion incentives are available but do not carry liquidated damages if an early completion incentive target is missed.

Why it matters: Center Avenue (TH-10) is a key corridor; the design changes aim to improve multimodal access while trying to preserve business access during a concentrated work period. Funding mixes state aid and competitive grants; the city said it will manage signage and a business liaison to reduce economic impacts.

What’s next: Staff will finalize agreements with the contractor and, if negotiations on accelerated schedules produce changes, will bring proposed change orders back to the council. The council approved the bid award and the two grant funding agreements in a combined motion at the meeting.

Sources: Presentation and council action, Moorhead City Council meeting, June 8, 2026. Funding numbers and schedule are taken from the engineer's presentation.