This picks up on an old thread about the planned western bypass of Williston (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=10976.0).
The western bypass of Williston, stitched together from several county roads, is open, and US 85 (but not US 2) has been moved onto the bypass. Junction signage, at both ends on US 2/85, directs through US 85 traffic onto the bypass. There are also several US 85 reassurance markers (no "bypass" banners, just vanilla US 85 markers) along the new bypass. Much or all of the bypass is four-lane divided. From south to north, it's posted for 45mph, then the limit increases to 55mph, then there is a 70mph stretch, until the speed limits drop to 55mph then 45mph approaching the northern junction with US 2.
US 2 through the Williston area has been left alone. It is mostly signed only as US 2, except for a multiplex with ND 1804 on the south side of town. But I saw at least one remnant US 85 marker.
The surprise (to me) was the new partial eastern bypass of Williston, signed as US 85B, and like the western bypass stitched together from county roads. From north to south, it starts on 57th St. NW, at the intersection (near the Love's travel center) where the rerouted US 85 rejoins US 2 north of town. It continues east to 134th Ave. NW, where it turns south, and after turning briefly into 11th St. East and 20th Ave. East, ends at ND 1804. There's an End 85B marker at the ND 1804 intersection, in addition to a few reassurance and junction markers north of Williston. I don't know if there's any work or plans to extend 85B farther south to connect to US 85 south of Williston. 85B is two-lane, and posted at 45mph, so it seems to have gotten fewer improvements than the new western bypass.
I'll post a few photos later when I have some more time.
QuoteThe western bypass of Williston, stitched together from several county roads,
Aerial imagery shows that this was largely new construction, with the exception of the segment along 57th St NW.
Here's four photos I took in Williston, all at or near route junctions.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaroads.com%2FUS2-US85-S-jct-DSC_1905.jpg&hash=84c1e75414ebeb9e5fc1aa456aefc98ff807b4bf)
^ The southern junction of US 2 and US 85, facing westbound from US 2, with the US 85 sign indicating that route now goes both south and north of the intersection.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaroads.com%2FUS2-US85-N-jct-DSC_1869.jpg&hash=ba800aa104994c3e7799a8d088fac8c073e58daf)
^ The new northern US 2-US 85 junction on the north side of Williston, with US 85 peeling away to the west along part of 57th St. NW, where US 85 used to continue south concurrently with US 2. New US 85B's north end also is at this intersection.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaroads.com%2FUS85B-reassurance-marker-DSC_1878.jpg&hash=1be39fb0a8b47a97361ef10200ce684ff609e279)
^ At that intersection, an 85B reassurance marker, along with a marker for the county route over which part of 85B was routed.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaroads.com%2FUS85B-end-sign-DSC_1896.jpg&hash=389b635d1e4c6f97e7a034bcb4823e2c6c934610)
^ The skewed sign assembly at the T-intersection of 20th Ave. East with ND 1804 and another county route, which is the south end of US 85B.
Heh. With the boom and bust of the drilling there, makes me wonder if Williston will actually be overbuilt with infrastructure if the drilling slows down even more than it has.
Some of it, perhaps. But the BNSF mainline needed double-tracking even before the Bakken boom.
Quote from: froggie on July 21, 2016, 10:48:21 AM
Some of it, perhaps. But the BNSF mainline needed double-tracking even before the Bakken boom.
True.
So is US 85B technically its own highway?
Quote from: Rothman on July 19, 2016, 11:42:19 AM
Heh. With the boom and bust of the drilling there, makes me wonder if Williston will actually be overbuilt with infrastructure if the drilling slows down even more than it has.
Given the current trend for oil prices, I would lean towards the decline flattening out and reversing.
I made a Wikipedia page for the route: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_85B