Data Collection Wraps up for Local Road and Bridge Needs Study

Posted: Apr 22, 2026

UGPTI researchers are nearing the end of data collection and analysis for the latest version of a statewide local road and bridge investment needs study. A draft of the study final report will be issued this summer. Based on suggestions and feedback, a revised report will be released this fall prior to the ND Legislature's 2027 session.

The researchers are completing the final calibration of a computerized traffic model that is used to project traffic across county, township, and tribal roads and bridges, noted Alan Dybing, a senior research fellow at UGPTI. They are also compiling road maintenance and construction cost data collected from a survey of counties and townships. They are also collecting and updating data on the state's bridges and minor structures, including culverts and bridges under 20 feet in length.

"With each version of the study, we've added new data and information to make the study as complete as possible," Dybing said. "The 20-year projection of road and bridge investment needs will allow decision makers across the state to better plan for investments to maintain and improve local infrastructure."

Dybing further explained, "We compare traffic counts with outputs from the model to assure that our network assumptions and parameters are correct. If we can correctly model the base year, our projections will be more accurate."

Over the past several months, Dybing met with ag processors and the North Dakota Division of Oil and Gas to examine how new developments in those fields may impact traffic patterns in the state. Those developments were factored into UGPTI's traffic model, which evaluates and predicts truck traffic across the state. Dybing said the model, one of the most complete models of local roads in the nation, focuses on truck traffic because it causes the most wear on local roads and bridges. It uses agricultural- and oil-related data to forecast truck traffic over the next 20 years.

Those predictions are compared and adjusted against traffic counts taken across the state by UGPTI and the North Dakota Department of Transportation. Agricultural predictions are based on the nine most common commodities produced in the state, and information is drawn from elevator shipment data as well as the National Agricultural Statistics Service satellite imagery and county average yields. For oil production, the model considers drilling, fracking, and production, relying on data from the Oil and Gas Division and the Pipeline Division of the ND Industrial Commission.

Concurrently, researchers are compiling road maintenance and construction cost data collected from a survey of counties and townships conducted over the winter. Most counties and many townships have completed the survey, which provides information on gravel cost as well as gravel road maintenance practices such as blading and graveling frequency, dust control, and base stabilization. The surveys also allow counties and townships to provide information on the condition of their gravel roads and report unique challenges such as flooding or circumstances leading to high traffic levels.

So far, costs appear to be up slightly, but the increases are lower than in previous studies.

Dybing is also working with UGPTI bridge and pavement engineer Kelly Bengtson and UGPTI program Director Brad Wentz to collect data on the state's bridges and minor structures, which include culverts and bridges under 20 feet in length. UGPTI's bridge analysis factors in the condition of bridge decks, superstructures, and substructures. UGPTI's bridge needs target considers the structural adequacy and safety, serviceability, and essentiality for public use; it also factors in scour and fracture critical ratings, use of timber materials, and load postings.

Over the past two summers, UGPTI students in a vehicle specially equipped with instrumentation called a "road profiler" have traveled the state's paved county roads. The profiler compiles information on road roughness while a 360-degree camera documented pavement condition and other data.

This is the seventh biennial local road investment needs study conducted by UGPTI since 2010. The study was requested by the North Dakota Legislature, which uses the final report to guide the distribution of funding to counties under the provisions of House Bill 1066, commonly known as Operation Prairie Dog.