This year’s road construction season in North Dakota is a little less busy that it has been during the oil boom years.
"With the one-time funding, the surge bills of previous sessions, those were record-setting times," said Association of General Contractors of North Dakota executive vice-president Russ Hanson. "With the slowdown in the economy, the Legislature simply couldn't afford to continue that."
Hanson said the budget for roads this year is around $470 million – down from the $600 to $800 million of the boom years.
He said this has caused construction firms to be more competitive when they bid projects.
"There;'s more bidders per project," Hanson said. "The pencils are very sharp."
Hanson said the drier weather means some of the projects are ahead of schedule. But he said he would trade some of that for timely rains.
