US 85 Expansion - Near Gorham Junction North to Junction of ND 200

The US Highway 85 project encompasses approximately 62 miles of roadway in Stark, Billings, and McKenzie counties. The project begins at the Interstate 94 (I-94) interchange and extends north to the Watford City Bypass (McKenzie County Road 30). The project includes expanding US 85 from a two-lane highway to a four-lane highway utilizing the existing US 85 alignment. 

This project specifically will widen the road from near the Gorham Junction north to the intersection of North Dakota Highway 200 in Billings and McKenzie counties.

Current Status
The project is in the preliminary engineering design phase. Environmental fieldwork and surveys were completed in the fall of 2024. Preliminary roadway design, utility coordination, and determining right-of-way needs will take place starting in 2025. Public information meetings are planned for the spring of 2025.

Final Environmental Impact Statement/Record of Decision
A Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision (FEIS/ROD) was completed in February 2019 that analyzed different alternatives and feasibility of construction of widening the highway in this area. The FEIS/ROD documented the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) decision on the US 85 Project, whose goal was to maintain and follow the existing US 85 alignment, utilizing the existing infrastructure to minimize potential impacts on environmental, socioeconomic, and human-made resources, to the maximum extent practicable. This document is available for viewing at: www.dot.nd.gov/highway85 
 

Contacts
Troy Ripplinger, PE
Consultant Project Manager
Apex Engineering Group
600 South 2nd Street – Suite 145
Bismarck, North Dakota 58504
troy.ripplinger@ApexEngGroup.com 

Garrett Hartl
NDDOT Design Division
608 E. Boulevard Ave. 
Bismarck, ND 58505
ghartl@nd.gov