Beltrami County Commissioners got a first hand look at the condition of area roads Tuesday.

There are around 750 miles of county road spread across Beltrami County, 400 miles of it which are paved – and that’s where majority of the traffic is.

And today’s tour highlighted a few key areas that brought immediate attention. Every year the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners revises its five-year construction plan, reviewing current projects and also adding on new ones. Ultimately, the goal is to improve and create safer roads in the county.

Right by Bemidji High School, there’s an average of 4,000 cars travel on this road daily. And with the proposed new Gene Dillon Elementary School, traffic would be chaotic.

And yet the busiest streets are County Road 21 and along Irvine Avenue where 7,000 cars drive on each day.

The county is allocated an 8-million dollar budget each year for road improvements , and though it may seem like a lot, the costly expenses breaks down to only a fraction of what the board would like to achieve to meet residents demand.

Rebuilding roads would cost around $1 million per mile, and for cheaper projects it costs about $300,000 a mile for resurfacing roads.

As soon as the county engineer drafts up new additions, the board will hold a public hearing before approving the new five-year plan.

By — Brenda Mak

News Reporter in Bemidji