Ulteig Engineering is presenting feedback this month about the Regional North-South Beltway Study to five local boards within the Bismarck-Mandan area.

Ulteig has been contracted to complete the study for the Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The Lincoln City Council will hear the results at 7 p.m. today at the Lincoln City Hall.

Steve Windish, project manager at Ulteig, said the final public hearings about the draft report will be held in April before each of the entities, and also will be considered by local planning boards.

The boards also will be asked to adopt the draft this spring.

He said the the study's aim is to:

n Investigate justification for the beltway corridors.

n Select optimum alignments for the corridors.

n Identify potential impacts and associated mitigation strategies.

n Facilitate stakeholder and decision-maker involvement.

n Secure jurisdictional acceptance of preferred alternatives and implementation strategies.

Burleigh County commissioners were briefed about the Bismarck links Monday.

The beltway's route would be 71st Avenue on the north, vertically through 66th Street and on the south side at 48th Avenue.

"They did not like the use of a five-lane section with a 55 mph design," Windish said. "Most of this will be a rural highway, three lanes."

He said the more densely populated areas would most likely have 35 mph zones.

"They asked why we chose this location and not further out. The reason for this location if it's too far out, people won't use it," Windish said. "Then you defeat the purpose of designating a roadway."

He said access to property will be required in the project area.

Windish said people repeatedly asked who the beltway would serve. He said trucks would benefit the most.

"Building this beltway will not greatly enhance their commute back and forth to town, but it will direct trucks out on to a new route," Windish said. "Truckers will go to the easiest route available. This would be that route at that time."

He said the city of Lincoln did express support for the plan because it is growing and needs an access to the north to the interstate.

"There is positive support out there," Windish said to Burleigh County commissioners.

The Mandan City Commission was updated about its affected roadways Tuesday.

Its focus is south 24th Avenue, spanning from 37th Street to 46th Street. Forty-sixth and 37th streets also could be the long-range bridge links to Burleigh County, if needed.

"The major question was why we are looking at building highways when the existing highway functions now," Windish said. "We aren't looking to build highways now. … What this report is looking to do is to preserve the corridor for the future highway."

He said as development occurs, the right-of-way can be preserved. "There is nothing planned hardly even in the distant future for improvements. The traffic just isn't being generated by the projections. As development occurs, we need to make sure we are there.

"When the time comes for zoning, platting and building, there will have to be some sort of agreement between Morton County and Mandan," Windish said.

He said the report calls for the preservation of the 24th Avenue corridor as part of the link.

"When that area develops south of the interstate, you will need to say to the developer, 'You will need to provide a footprint for the interchange. If you don't do it and a future need for the interchange comes about, then you will also have to purchase the improvements to that property.'"

Windish said the term beltway was not favored by landowners on both sides. He said staff wants to keep the term beltway to be fair to land buyers. "This would let them know this is a major route for the future."

"It's a very good plan. I think if planning like this would have taken place 50 years ago, the make-up of Mandan and the types of businesses we see in Mandan would have been totally different," Mandan Mayor Tim Helbling said.

Windish said because decisions to be made on the Morton County side are different than those in Burleigh County, separate decision documents will need to be approved.

The beltway study also will be presented before the Morton County Commission at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. It will be heard by the Bismarck City Commission at 5:15 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Tom Baker Room of the City/County Building.

(Reach reporter LeAnn Eckroth at 250-8264 or leann.eckroth@;bismarcktribune.com.)