17th St SW Business Owners: Keep I-94 Ramp

Jamestown (CSi) With the Jamestown Land Use and Transportation plan, there was a gathering Tuesday at City Hall, with the 17^th Street Southwest Owners Group.

Input from the owners in attendance included, keeping the on- and off-ramp access to Interstate 94 in the area of the current exit 257.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation has indicated it considers the ramp a safety hazard, as the eastbound exit ramp connects to the left-hand lane at the exit.

The Land Use and Transportation Plan addresses the means to improve the safety or how to handle traffic if the ramp was eliminated.

RDG Planner, Marty Shukert said, an option includes replacing the left-lane exit overpass with a new overpass for local traffic, allowing local traffic from the proposed Menard’s location and JRMC to travel to Jamestown without going through an interstate exchange. It would also reduce the amount of traffic utilizing the interchange at U.S. Highway 281.

Other options include adding a lane to I- 94 through Jamestown and include an exit for westbound traffic at the new overpass near the proposed Menard’s location.

Suggestions varied on how to improve safety.

Randy Williams, of Crossroads Repairs, said reducing speeds on Interstate 94 would improve safety, and that when streets were constructed that connect Jamestown Regional Medical Center to the U.S. Highway 281 area near Walmart and the Buffalo Mall, the amount of traffic utilizing exit 257 would be reduced.

At the Wednesday evening public meeting at City Hall, new retail shopping opportunities and another railroad overpass led topics under discussion.

Jamestown City Engineer Reed Schwartzkopf said one possible location for an overpass that has received a lot of discussion is 12th Avenue Southeast. He estimated the project would require two or three construction seasons to complete and would impact the neighborhood with additional traffic.

Shukert said part of the overpass project could include rerouting Highway 20 to avoid the downtown area and connect to 12th Avenue, further reducing traffic through downtown and allow for more pedestrian-friendly features as part of a downtown revitalization.

Meanwhile Shukert said he anticipated more retail stores as the community’s population grows. His estimates place the Jamestown population growing by about 2,500 by 2020 and 7,000 by 2040.