Bemidji Takes A Look At Cold Weather Vehicle Testing Concerns

Cold weather vehicle testing has become a common sight each winter around the north country, but for some Bemidji residents in the Nymore neighborhood, it’s a sight that has become too common. Cold weather vehicle testing has become a thriving industry for the city of Bemidji, but for some, it comes at a cost.

During the Monday’s work session, it was also brought up that test vehicles were damaging roads, but according to the Public Works department, that isn’t the case.

While city council member Nancy Erickson (who represents Nymore as part of Ward 5) mentioned she would like to see regulations put in place, council member Roger Hellquist said the testing wasn’t an issue and was part of a growing industry in Bemidji.

At the table with council members were representatives of Roush and MDE Engineering, which run cold weather testing in the city. Both offered to work with the city to help ease any concerns.

Moving forward, both companies agreed to continue the discussion over the residents concerns so that it would ease stress on residents and keep traffic moving in the right direction.

Both Roush and MDE Engineering employ nearly 300 drivers in Bemidji during the winter months.