North Dakota

As bridge repairs add up, North Dakota might need to rethink approach, Gov. Kelly Armstrong says

Published

10 months ago

July 5, 2025

As bridge repairs add up, North Dakota might need to rethink approach, Gov. Kelly Armstrong says

GRAND FORKS — North Dakota has 1,325 bridges identified as needing repairs, according to a national report.

And of the 4,255 bridges in North Dakota, 11% — or 467 of them — are structurally deficient, according to data compiled and distributed by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. North Dakota ranks No. 10 nationally for structurally deficient bridges as a percentage of total bridge inventory, according to the ARTBA.

It’s a statewide problem that may require a new approach, Gov. Kelly Armstrong says, because “there is no way a local county can repair every bridge they have — especially in rural counties.” Some money exists for repairs, the governor said, but there just won’t be enough to fix all of the structures on the ever-growing list of projects.

Perhaps a better plan, according to Armstrong, is to rethink the state’s bridge grid.

“I think eventually the state and (affected) counties are going to have to work out what a 21st-century infrastructure looks like,” he said.

Because of the evolving way North Dakotans live and do business, the state could probably do with fewer bridges, he believes.

“You wouldn’t build the bridge infrastructure the same way in 2025 that was done in 1925. Nobody’s making a living on a quarter-section of land anymore; farming’s an economy of scale. Some of this is, replace the ones you need,” Armstrong said. “You’re going to have to make some tough decisions, particularly if you’re someone that lives on the north side of that bridge or the south side of that bridge and now has to go 6 miles out of their way.”

In northeast North Dakota, where numerous streams and rivers make their way into the north-flowing Red River, the number of bridges needing repair is especially high. For example, three of the top four most-traveled structurally deficient bridges in the state are in Grand Forks County, according to the ARTBA national report.

Atop the list is the Kennedy Bridge, which carries traffic on U.S. Highway 2 across the Red River on the north edge of Grand Forks. No. 2 is the Interstate 29 bridge over Grand Forks’ DeMers Avenue, followed by a Cass County highway over the Sheyenne River. At No. 4 is a rural I-29 bridge over County Drain No. 11, also near Grand Forks.

The long list of bridge repairs in the immediate Grand Forks area is enough to add a certain edge to Nick West’s job as Grand Forks County engineer.

“It’s a little stressful,” West said. “But it’s also rewarding when you can fix them.”

As reported in 2024 by the Herald, Grand Forks County has the most locally owned bridges of any county in the state, at 284. Of those, the county owns somewhere around 250 — the number changes every year, West said. He keeps a list of bridges that are most worthy of attention and tackles a portion of the list each year.

Grand Forks County Administrator Tom Ford says West is “passionate about his job.”

“He has a plan,” Ford said, “and he’s doing an excellent job prioritizing what needs attention. But you fix a couple of bridges, and as you fix a couple, other ones still on the list are aging. You just take it a bridge at a time and culvert at a time and be as responsive as you can.”

The end goal, Ford said, is to repair and fix the people’s infrastructure, “but we can only address what the budget allows,” he said.

West, Ford said, probably feels like he’s playing “Whac-A-Mole,” the old carnival game in which players use a mallet to try to strike fake moles as they poke their heads from holes in a cabinet. As one mole dives into a hole, another arises elsewhere on the board. Over time, the game has become a metaphor for attempting to complete a nearly impossible and frustrating task.

To reduce the number of moles on the board — or in a real sense, the bridges on the list — funding will always be the hurdle, Armstrong, West and Ford all say.

“I’d be lying to you if I said there’s enough (funding) to fix them all,” Armstrong said, adding that fixing all of the bridges “shouldn’t be the goal” if the state someday does rethink its bridge infrastructure.

So-called Prairie Dog funding — dollars derived from oil and gas tax revenues — has been used successfully for bridge repairs, West said. Operation Prairie Dog was created in 2019 as House Bill 1066, which made changes to oil and gas production tax distribution formula.

The bill’s passage provided a “new source of infrastructure funding for cities, counties and townships in non-oil-producing counties and airports throughout the state,” according to a description on the North Dakota Treasurer’s Office website. It allocates up to $250 million of oil and gas tax revenue per biennium to three buckets: municipal infrastructure, county and township infrastructure, and airport infrastructure.

More state money is coming, Armstrong noted.

“We did some things at the legislative session where they moved more money directly to (the Department of Transportation) through (percent of market value), and it allows for more money to be used locally, for more county projects,” he said.

During his January budget address, Armstrong touched on the state’s infrastructure concerns.

“We have construction needs, and our budget addresses them head-on,” he said during the speech.

He proposed a $464 million bonding package to tackle big projects like a new State Hospital in Jamestown; airport projects in Grand Forks, Dickinson and Fargo; and a military gallery at the North Dakota Heritage Center.

“To repay these bonds, we propose increasing the percent of market value, or POMV, which is applied to the Legacy Fund to calculate the earnings available for use every two years,” he told lawmakers.

At the time, the POMV was 7% of the average five-year balance of the Legacy Fund, he said. Armstrong suggested a 1.5% increase, half of which to be used for repaying the bonds for the hospital, airport and Heritage Center projects, with the other half to be used to support state and local infrastructure projects.

The Legislature did not go along with the 1.5% increase to a full 8.5%, but did approve increasing the POMV to 8%. A portion of the increase — 30% — will be used for highway infrastructure projects.

Still, the governor says, it’s important to think about what future travel trends hold for state infrastructure.

“The reality is, our job is to get (the state’s ag products) from farm to market as quickly as possible. What that looks like and what that future looks like is probably different than what people have lived (throughout the years),” Armstrong said. “We’ll fix some of them, (but) there’s no way we’re going to be able to fix them all.”

Prairie Business Editor Carrie McDermott contributed to this report.

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North Dakota

North Dakota State Receives Sobering News After NFL Draft

Published

10 hours ago

April 30, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota State Receives Sobering News After NFL Draft

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NDSU gets a reality check on draft and transfer portal.

North Dakota State’s draft success continued this year, and there could be more to come in 2027.

While NDSU boasts 16 draft picks since 2004 as a Division I program, the Bison faced sobering news regarding the final draft numbers this year amid a move up to the FBS. Only 13 Group of Six players had their names called compared to 239 players from the Power Four conferences, which college football analyst Chris Hummer broke down.

NDSU had two picks this year, the most of any Mountain West Conference team. The FCS, where the Bison just left, only had four overall — counting quarterback Cole Payton and wide receiver Bryce Lance from NDSU.

“It’s yet another example of the talent drain for the G6 and FCS due to the transfer portal,” Hummer wrote via X.

NDSU moving to the FBS may not slow down losing players in the transfer portal. Just ask around the Mountain West, where 138 players have departed since late 2025.

That most notably included former UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who transferred to Nebraska. NDSU lost six starters, and the majority went to Power Four schools.

Former Bison players lost include Colorado defensive end Toby Anene, Vanderbilt left tackle Beau Johnson, Florida State long snapper Caleb Bowers, Michigan State center Trent Farley and Iowa kicker Eli Ozick. Bigger competition and NIL money continue to be the draw for Power Four teams, and NDSU may not become an exception among G6 teams losing players.

How the Top G6 Teams Fared With The Transfer Portal

Former Bison FCS rival and College Football Playoff participant James Madison, one of the top G6 teams around, lost more than 11 starters this year.

Many of the JMU Players, except for Colorado edge Immanuel Ezeogu, transferred to UCLA, following former Dukes head coach Bob Chesney to Los Angeles. That’s not the first time JMU has experienced an exodus of players with a head coach. It happened with Curt Cignetti when he left JMU for Indiana, and he built a national championship team that had numerous former Dukes standouts.

Tulane, also a G6 CFP participant, lost 26 players. That included major key players such as Indiana wide receiver Shazz Preston, Tennessee running back Javin Gordon and Louisville tight end Justyn Reid.

Boise State, last year’s Mountain West champion and a 2024 CFP entrant, lost numerous key players from the 2025 team. That includes LSU safety Ty Benefield and Arkansas wide receiver Chris Marshall.

NDSU Has Gained in Transfer Portal

While the exodus of G6 players doesn’t look favorable, the Bison have gained three Power Four players since the FBS move.

Former Arizona wide receiver Jeremiah Patterson and former West Virginia wideout Jordan McCants both joined the team in the past month. Most recently, the Bison landed former Notre Dame cornerback Chance Tucker.

That’s not entirely new for the Bison, which even landed Power Four quarterbacks with starting experience during the FCS dynasty. Former Iowa State quarterback Zeb Noland and former Virginia Tech quarterback Quincy Patterson II both started games for the Bison after transferring. However, neither reached the level of success as the five former home-grown starters who landed in the NFL draft over the past decade.

Matthew Davis covers the NFL, WNBA and college sports for Heavy.com. As a contributing writer to the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew Davis

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North Dakota

Guard Soldiers respond to shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner

Published

22 hours ago

April 29, 2026

Press Room

Guard Soldiers respond to shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner

U.S. Soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28, 2026. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District.
(Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris)

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.

The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contributions of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage of the presidential administration.

“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.

As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance. “They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”

Staff Sgt. Kristen Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”

According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensuring that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect, which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas Soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.

“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge of the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had 5 inside, 8 outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his Soldiers allowed him to move among teams, which helped him plan and coordinate with various agencies.

According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas Soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the presidential motorcade’s staging. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the President and Administration officials, he said.

“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”

North Dakota

North Dakota Congressional delegation reacts to King Charles visit, speech

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota Congressional delegation reacts to King Charles visit, speech

WASHINGTON (KMOT) – Members of North Dakota’s Congressional delegation shared their responses to King Charles’ visit to the United States this week, and his speech before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.

Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-ND, provided the following statement:

“Welcoming King Charles III to a joint session of the Congress was a historic moment and a real time to reflect on the relationship between our two nation’s dating back more than 250 years. His speech was funny, touching, and quite inspiring as he discussed the many positive outcomes of the alliance between the US and the UK.”

Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, provided the following statement:

“King Charles’ visit to the U.S. and his address to Congress celebrate the enduring friendship between our two nations. In particular, I welcomed his focus on our shared values and traditions and our nations’ rich histories, which bind us closely together. As we face increased threats from our adversaries, this is a tremendous opportunity to reaffirm our continued relationship as allies and our commitment to defending our people and our way of life.”

Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, provided the following statement:

“To hear King Charles III address Congress while I’m a member of it is really special for me. I can’t help but think about myself, a 14th generation American with three ancestors actually on the Mayflower, the ‘original rebels’ if you will. It is moments like this that remind us the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom transcends history and it maintains relevance today. The King, like the President at the White House, talked about values that the President said was handed down to Americans from our family from Great Britain: freedom, democracy, the rule of law. It’s remarkable when you think about the timing of this visit and this speech. Here we are as we celebrate 250 years of American independence from Great Britain, and it shows us how far we’ve come. Two countries who were once on opposite sides of a war, as well as an ocean, are now among the closest allies in the world.

“From the White House ceremony to today’s address before Congress, the whole visit really puts this important, geopolitical, family partnership on full display for the world to see. I was grateful to witness history and to be part of welcoming Their Majesties.”

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