Maybe the Department of Transportation map below will give you a reference point, so you can avoid feeling like this on Thursday...

attachment-julien-l-M5tefBe38QU-unsplash (1)
loading...

I mean construction did shut down River Road on Monday...frustrating.

 Starting Monday, 6:00 AM, July 12, 2021, River Road north of Fraine Barracks Road will be closed to through traffic for road repairs.

 No detour routes will be provided.

 Access to Keelboat Park, near the riverboat landing will be maintained from Main Avenue.

 Starting Monday, July 12, access will only be by River Road from the south at Main Avenue near the Memorial Bridge. Head north on River Road to the entrance of the parking lot of Lewis and Clark.

 No access from the north on River Road from Burnt Boat Drive. 

 The closure will be in place until further notice.

So what's going to be so darn problematic on Thursday 7/15?

This from the North Dakota Department of Transportation...

Bridge maintenance is scheduled for Thursday, July 15, on the Interstate 94 Bismarck Expressway Interchange (Exit 156) and the Bismarck Expressway/Memorial Highway Interchange bridge.

The work will take place from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. During this time, the ramps will be closed on both bridges and motorists will need to take an alternate route.

 So let's bring up an NDDOT map of the area so we can better follow along...

attachment-Screenshot 2021-07-12 at 11-54-26 I-94_Bis-Man_Project_Map_2019_v3 - I-94-Bis-Man-Project-Map-2019-FINAL pdf
loading...

OK so exit 156 has that sharp curve when coming off I-94 heading west off the Grant Marsh Bridge.  I'm presuming that will be shut down during this time.  Mind you, it's the interchange bridges and not the Grant Marsh or Memorial Bridges being worked on.  So when the Memorial Highway exit is closed, it doesn't mean the Memorial Bridge is closed, it simply means you can't take that exit.  So you'll want to take the McKenzie Drive exit and meander with the crowd past Raging Rivers Waterpark to get where you want to go.

I'm a little more obtuse with what's going on with getting on I-94 to get from Mandan to South Bismarck on Thursday...here's what the news release says-

Alternate routes include Exit 153 for Bismarck Expressway Interchange closure and 46th Avenue Southeast for the Expressway/Memorial Highway Interchange closure.

Note that Exit 153 is the exit on North Mandan Avenue near the refinery.  Will there be no eastbound traffic out of Mandan on Exit 155 (basically heading east past Culvers)?  I'm presuming, from what is laid out here, is that you can go east on 94 out of Mandan toward Grant Marsh Bridge but cannot go south towards Expressway. So, is the only way east on I-94 out of Mandan is by using Exit 153? There's also of course Exit 152 up by Walmart.

So, if you want to go from North Mandan to South Bismarck you'll want to go to Memorial Highway (The Strip) all the way down to 46th and take that past Raging Rivers and back on to Expressway via the McKenzie exit?

I welcome all clarification of this potentially day-altering traffic snarl scheduled for  Thursday. Fortunately we have some time still to figure it out together!

SPEAKING OF TRAVELING AROUND A MAZE- HERE'S SOME PAC-MAN TIDBITS!


Pac-Man Facts: 40 Easily Digestible Bits of Arcade-Game History

From his arcade-game fame to his own TV show and appearances on all kinds of collectibles, a look back at Pac-Man.

More From US 103-3