Project Background

Cass County Road 18 (CR 18) is located in the southeast corner of Cass County, ND.  Cass County is considering extending CR 18 five miles to the west from its existing termini at CR 17 (170th Ave SE) to CR 15 (165th Ave SE). The existing roadway, 52nd St SE, is currently a Township road with one mile of the study corridor located in Pleasant Township while four miles are located in Normanna Township. The extension of CR 18 would require coordination with both Townships and the County and would need to be re-designated as a County roadway.

While the existing roadway (52nd St SE) is currently a Township road, it provides a regional connection.  52nd St SE connects the city of Kindred (pop. 692) to CR 18, I-29 Exit 50, the cities of Oxbow/Hickson, and provides a crossing over the Red River into Minnesota.  With the Kindred School District encompassing several Townships in southeast Cass County, students and school buses utilize CR 18 and 52nd St SE to reach the Elementary and High School, both located in Kindred.  More specifically, students living in Oxbow/Hickson tend to use CR 18/52nd St SE to reach the schools.

Currently 52nd St SE has limited roadway right of way and roadway width.  In order to improve the roadway to County standards, the roadway would need to be widened, the corridor would need to be re-graded, and additional right of way would likely need to be acquired. Some challenges are foreseen along the corridor, namely the Sheyenne River Crossing of 52nd St SE where nearby properties and the Sheyenne River pose restrictions. The County’s intent is to keep the roadway surface gravel, however there could be the potential to pave the roadway in the future.

The objective of this study is to obtain public/landowner feedback on the future of the roadway, analyze the need for an improved roadway with County ownership, and develop planning-level costs, typical sections, and layouts for the study corridor. Ultimately, the results of this study should allow the County and Townships to make well-informed decisions as to whether or not to extend CR 18 and make the necessary improvements.

The study began in July 2018, and was completed in May 2019.