Transportation Plan - City of Williston

INTRODUCTION
The City of Williston is experiencing a period of significant growth, in part due to the renewed
expansion of energy related industries in western North Dakota. This growth has resulted in a
need to update the city’s Comprehensive Plan and Transportation Plan. The Comprehensive Plan
established goals, objective and policies that guide the city’s future growth. Future growth can’t
occur without expansion of the city’s transportation system. The Transportation Plan which was
developed in conjunction with the Comprehensive Plan addresses future truck routes, and
encourages access management and safety improvements. The plan also addresses future
improvements to non-motorized forms of transportation.
The Transportation Plan identifies a series of roadway improvement needs based on projected
growth in the short range (year 2020) and for the long range (year 2035). The implementation of
these improvements will be based on development needs and financial constraints. The plan is a
guide that, when used in conjunction with the Comprehensive Plan, insures that the future
transportation system will provide for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods in
the City of Williston and surrounding region.
Study Area
The City of Williston is located in the northwestern corner of the state of North Dakota in
Williams County. The city is bordered by Williston Township to the south and west, Missouri
Ridge Township to the northwest, Pherrin Township to the northeast, and Stony Creek Township
to the East. The east side of the city is bordered by the Little Muddy River (with the exception of
a small annexed area east of the river), while the south side is bordered by the Missouri River.
The city’s extraterritorial area (ETA) includes the areas in the surrounding townships, within
one-mile of the city boundary. Figure 1 shows the study area for this transportation plan, which
includes the City of Williston and the surrounding Townships.
Study Purpose
The purpose of the Transportation Plan is to provide the policy and program guidance needed to
make appropriate transportation related decisions as development occurs and elements of the
transportation system need to be upgraded. The Transportation Plan demonstrates how the City
of Williston will provide for an integrated transportation system that will serve the future needs
of its residents and businesses, support the city’s development plans, and accommodate the
increases in heavy truck traffic through the city, resulting from new industrial development.
Highway 2 (West Dakota Parkway) Corridor Study
The city is bisected by US Highway 2/85, which traverses the city in a southwest to northeast
direction. The four-lane highway originally served as a bypass route for through traffic; however,
as growth within the city has occurred, the areas surrounding the highway (north and west) have
developed and traffic volumes have increased. This has raised concerns over impact of the
highway on the local system. In order to address these concerns, the US Highway 2/85 (West
Dakota Parkway) Corridor Study was undertaken. The purpose of this study was to determine
how to address traffic operations and safety concerns on the highway as the city continues to
grow and traffic volumes continue to increase.
The corridor study was prepared as a separate document, but is tied to the Transportation Plan as
the same growth assumptions and traffic projection methodology were used for both. As part of
Williston Transportation Plan 1
August 2010