I cannot believe how fast the bypasses around Watford City and Alexander were completed. These were not small projects. A year ago I don't recall any evidence that the bypasses were being built. This year the truck reliever routes around Williston look like they are going to be completed. And the new four-lane Lewis and Clark bridge across the Missouri River is under construction and will likely be completed this summer, it appears.
Videos of these various projects can be found here.
And, of course, this is on top of all the other roads that were upgraded or smaller new roads put in.
I noticed something different this year about road construction. Back in 2011, when things were really, really crazy, and there were not enough workers in the Bakken to get anything done, there were no flagmen / flagwomen alerting drivers to heavy equipment operating in the area. This time, there were many, many flagmen along the roads under construction. Not only that, but I also saw a pick-up truck with a water tank in the back with a man washing those plastic cones along the sides and down the middle of the roads. I don't think I've ever seen those plastic cones being washed.
I did not get over to Watford City this visit, but I know, based on my trip there last autumn, that there must be some great new roads north and west of that city.
I also forgot to take a photograph of the underpass being built under the Williston bypass, 18th street. I thought it would have been completed, but the winter slowed them down. It will be completed by the next time I get back to Williston.
There are still too many buildings under construction to keep track of -- the big ones include the four-story building going up on south Main Street across from the old Hedderich's building. I've already mentioned the new SM Energy building north of Williston (and a photograph). The huge, new high school on the northwest edge of Williston will be built this year; ground was broken on the day before I left Williston this past week to return to Texas. They say the high school will be completed by the autumn of 2016, in time for the 2016 - 2017 school year.
The new Williston airport will also probably break ground later this year. The contractor, I understand, has been selected, and final siting should be announced. Apparently "they" can't use the current ISN for the new Williston airport and all the "good" three-letter codes have been taken. It would have been nice if OIL would have been available, but it wasn't: Oil City, Pennsylvania, has that one. So, the IATA code for Williston will be something like XWA.
Menard's in Williston is huge (previously posted) and should be opening any day now.
Some other announcements:
- Jimmy John's opens in Dickinson (JJ's is already located in Williston; so if Famous Dave's).
- Home of Economy opens in Watford City.
New Building Going Up On South Main
Oh, by the way, everywhere construction was being done -- roads or buildings -- the folks were working well into the evening and on Sundays. They were taking advantage of the good weather and long days.
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For The Archives: April, 2015, Trip To The Bakken
Gasoline Prices
Price for unleaded, least expensive (generally 87 octane rating) gasoline; places where I stopped to buy gasoline (disclaimer: generally rounded; sometimes I could not read my own handwriting and my price may be slightly off):
- Grapevine, Texas (near DFW) -- origin: $2.49
- Oklahoma - Kansas state line -- $2.29 (in Oklahoma)
- Phillipsburg, NE: $2.36
- Oshkosh, NE: $2.49
- Rapid City, SD: $2.39
- Belfield, ND: $2.45
- Williston, ND: $2.50
- Belfield, ND: $2.50
- Hermosa, SD (nr Rapid City): $2.48
- Oglala, NE: $2.50
- Hays, KS: $2.42
- Wichita, KS (south of the city): $2.36
- Oklahoma City: $2.25
- Grapevine, Texas -- $2.49
- pretty much the same everywhere
- most expensive gasoline was at the CENEX stations. I only made the mistake of getting gasoline once at a CENEX station
- Williston and Grapevine were the most expensive; Oklahoma the least expensive
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