Central ND News

The city of Mandan has announced that the Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is conducting a study to evaluate and classify safety measures for future transportation projects.

According to a press release by the city of Mandan, the Safety Policy Study is led by the MPO and regional partners, including Bismarck, Mandan, Lincoln, and Burleigh and Morton Counties. The study aims to reduce serious transportation-related injuries and deaths using the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Safe System Approach.

Public feedback will be gathered at the free Touch-a-Truck event on Main Street in Mandan on Saturday, May 17, or submitted in writing by May 31, 2025. Submissions can be made to Luke Champa at SRF Consulting or via the project website. Reasonable accommodations, including accessibility support and language services, are available upon request at least 10 days before the event.

The study seeks to clarify which countermeasures are appropriate for specific roadway types or intersections and to develop a tool to guide future safety project decisions. It will align with USDOT’s Safe System Approach and serve as a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. Goals include identifying existing and best-practice safety measures, promoting consistent implementation among partner jurisdictions, and positioning communities to pursue Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) and Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding for future transportation projects.

The MPO includes Bismarck, Mandan, Lincoln, and parts of Burleigh and Morton Counties. It serves as a platform for public officials and citizens to develop transportation policies and plans. Required for areas with populations over 50,000, the MPO ensures federal transportation funds can be received by maintaining an approved planning process. Its goal is to create an integrated, efficient transportation system that supports community and economic development. Federal funding is managed by NDDOT (North Dakota Department of Transportation), distributed at an 80/20 federal-local match ratio, and guided by the MPO’s policy board.