VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – City officials, community leaders and staff members with the ND Dept. Transportation along with representatives from Senator Hoeven and Cramer’s office participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony in Valley City. The event was held to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the Central Avenue reconstruction project.

Valley City Mayor Dave Carlsrud and others thanked members from the Streetscape committee, the ND Dept. of Transportation and the main contractor Strata Corporation for their cooperation and hard work.

Valley City Administrator David Schelkoph said the lion share of the construction funding centered on a federal grant through the North Dakota DOT Urban Grant Program. He said thanks to that funding, the project was completed.

The ceremony was held Wednesday, October 23rd in the Hi Liner Activity Center in Valley City.

Below is a portion of a news release issued by the ND Dept. of Transportation:

“The makeover of Central Avenue between Main Street and 12th Street consisted of preventative maintenance work on the roadway, updated lighting, ADA compliant sidewalks and other aesthetic improvements. The project was one of four projects awarded through the Urban Grant Program in 2018 at NDDOT.

“As part of the Urban Grant Program, NDDOT worked with city officials in Valley City to update this corridor and provide a more pedestrian friendly downtown,” says Bill Panos, NDDOT Director. “The improvements to this area not only look great, but will serve the community and businesses for years to come.”

Two public input meetings were conducted and the city along with NDDOT came up with the best design solution for the project. Construction began this spring and concluded this fall, with cooperation with motorists and area businesses.

“The improvements completed to downtown Valley City not only improve access to area businesses, but updates the corridor making downtown a destination for residents and visitors to our beautiful city,” says Valley City Mayor Dave Carlsrud.

In total, approximately $2.4 million was invested into the project. Next year, further improvements are planned for downtown Valley City on the remainder of Central Avenue to the Sheyenne River along with a portion of Main Street.”