I do not live in Minot but, I work here. I try to keep up with everything that is going on in the Magic City but, I am by no means “in the know.”
Having disclosed that, I am wondering if anyone has driven by the train station lately? I ask this because due to the construction on Central avenue and 3rd street, this back road going past the train station is the route that I take most often to get to the office. Every day I travel this road I am more and more disgusted with our city management. As a welcome into our city for tourists getting off the train and even a necessary road for my fellow travelers getting to and from work, it is in terrible condition. Inexcusable condition really. I can no longer drive the road without fear of damage to my vehicle and I find it absurd that the damage to this road was not addressed before many of the unnecessary aesthetic projects that are currently going on.
Seriously, I ask you to drive down there and check it out. The potholes are bad enough, but the most dangerous part is at the intersection on the west of the train station coming off of the library road and over the tracks. There is a pothole that takes up most of the intersection and has resulted in a ridge that I no longer believe safe for a car to go over. Should be interesting this winter as the snow covers up the severity of the road damage and people don’t see what is hiding underneath.
My understanding is that there is a dispute as to actually who owns the street; the city claims BNSF owns this right of way, and BNSF claims the city owns it.