Birds Cause Construction Delays - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

A road project has come to a sudden halt and it's because of some feathered friends.

Water surrounds old highway ten in west Stutsman County. Many times it's submerged the road, leaving it a mess. "It's been flooded and has been re-built up time to time," says County Commissioner David Schwartz.

That's why Schwartz says it's necessary for work to start on a permanent grade raise on the road, because this happens to be an emergency access route. "We got the approval last fall to do the project but then FEMA did not approve the project 'till this April," says Schwartz.

So now the construction on the grade raise project is finally supposed to start and construction equipment is even in place that was until yesterday when the roads department in Jamestown received this letter.

Commissioner Schwartz says the letter states that the construction on the road has to stop because a bird known as the piping plover may be making the road it's home. "We're required now to have a biologist come and check it out. If piping plover is found the project will be put on halt til August," says Schwartz.

And he says believe it or not this isn't the only construction project being held up because of birds. "We have another road, a townsman ship road just north of Jamestown, that's being held up because of duck nesting," says Schwartz. Schwartz says both roads are emergency access routes, and no matter what, the construction needs to get done, maybe not for the safety of the birds but for the safety of those who use it.

"There are way to many environmental issues going on," says Schwartz. Schwartz says a biologist from Bismarck will be coming to the site on Monday to determine whether a piping plover is living in the area.