45th Street construction backs up traffic and confuses drivers

It's not so bad on a Sunday, but drivers say getting around on 45th street is a mess.

"A lot of horn honking and hand waving so I can see it bothers other people too."

Even people who live in the area say some parts can be confusing, especially this ramp to get on I-94 east. Before south and northbound traffic each had its own ramp to interstate. Now drivers from each direction take turns getting on the ramp, causing some confusion and backing up southbound traffic nearly every time the light turns red.

"Just understanding which way to go and what's open and what's not and then as you head south on 45th you can't really tell when it's going to end so you have to make a good decision ahead of time."

Drivers say they've all tried finding different routes to get away from construction backups, like using 17th Avenue South, but say a lot of other people have the same idea.

"As they put the road construction in and others find different ways to go. It's going to get very busy so leave early or later or put up with it."

"17th gets really backed up. It was bad before, but now with everybody avoiding the other ways it's really backed up."

The bridge project will keep these cones around for about 6 more months, an area that's sure to test people's patience. Throughout the metro, thousands of drivers in North Fargo will be affected by more road construction starting tomorrow.

Lanes will be reduced on 12th Avenue as the project resumes. One westbound lane will be closed from 35th Street to the east ramps of I-29. The closure will last two weeks. Expect delays, reduced speeds, and use alternate routes.

Tags: your city, todd kurtz, construction, road, auto, transportation, fargo, news