Hoeven, Cramer & Armstrong Urge Expedited Environmental Review for Little Missouri River Bridge in Billings County

WASHINGTON – Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer and Congressman Kelly Armstrong this week sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine Chao urging her to expedite completion of an environmental review for a proposed bridge to cross the Little Missouri River in Billings County. The bridge would be the only such crossing for nearly 70 miles, and local North Dakota first responders wrote the Federal Highway Administration in October to highlight the proposed bridge's public safety benefits as emergency service providers are currently forced to "ford" the river in vehicles.

"The proposed Little Missouri River bridge is needed to not only enable safe passage of emergency service providers, but also to provide essential services to the Bakken oil and gas field," the letter reads. "The expeditious construction of basic and reliable transportation systems to assist with the production and use of our domestic energy resources is of high importance to not only North Dakota, but the rest of the country. Further, Billings County is the home of the southern unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and a new bridge crossing would enable visitors to the Park and other tourists visiting the region to enjoy safer access to these important natural areas."

The full text of the letter can be found by clicking here.

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