After an hour and a half of often contentious debate, the Minot City Council voted 10-4 Monday evening to place priority on a proposed railroad grade separation at 16th Street Southwest instead of on a proposed grade separation at 27th Street Southeast. Council members Ron Garcia, Sandra Collins-Roggenbuck, Ernie Medalen, Curt Zimbelman, Andy Bertsch, Blake Krabseth, Jim Hatlelid, Stephan Podrygula, Allen Butz and Chuck Barney all voted to prioritize the 16th Street project. Council members Ed Kuhn, Larry Frey, Neil Leigh and Lee Snyder all voted against the project.
Priority needs to be placed on one of the projects to determine which one gets federal funding.
Construction could begin on either improvement in 2002. Vehicle traffic at both locations can be blocked by trains for minutes at a time. Supporters of the 16th Street underpass said it should take priority because it's in the heart of the city and people often take that route to get to places such as ING Service Center, Dakota Square Mall and Wal-Mart. Kevin Regala, a member of the audience, said he's concerned about the response time of the Minot Fire Department in case of an emergency and thinks priority should be put on the 16th Street project for that reason. Burton Maroney said he favored the 16th Street project because it would enhance emergency response.