Northern Tier: Back to the old route?

[BikeFreak]

Hi,

When riding the Sierra Cascades Route this summer I met a couple (non cyclists) who live in Williston, North Dakota and we talked about the oil boom explaining why the original Northern Tier was rerouted to avoid the truck traffic in the area. They told me that the traffic is nowhere as dangerous anymore since the oil boom has moved to somewhere in Wyoming. They said rough necks are moving away again and things are becoming normal. Maybe the ACA mapping department could look into opening the old route again?

Lucas

[eorogers]

Last summer I rode the new Northern Tier through Montana, diverting at Glendive to go north to the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Missouri.  Even though the oil field traffic was greatly reduced from the peak, there was enough inconsiderate large truck drivers that I found it greatly annoying, although not life threatening, and would not go there again myself. 

Maybe as an alternate NT route?

Eric

[ggwbikemt]

I live 150 miles west of Williston, ND on the old NT route and travel ND highways frequently.  The one road in western North Dakota on the old NT route that is still very bad is ND 1804 between Williston and New Town. Even the highway has been reconstructed over it entire length the last 10 years, it still has no useable paved shoulder most of the time with rumble strips covering what minimal paved shoulder there is.  US 2 and ND 23 would be the safer of the evils highways in western ND as both highways have paved shoulders with the exception of west bound US 2 between US 52 and Berthold and a short stretch of east bound US 2 west of US 52 (MP 131 to 133). Between Minot and Grand Forks, eastbound US 2 has several long stretches of gravel shoulders with edge line rumble strips and NDDOT recently eliminated the paved shoulders on US 2 in the Grand Forks area in both directions. US 52 has usable paved shoulders most of the time between Minot and Jamestown if you are willing to put up with Canadian long haul truck traffic. ND 200 now has decent shoulder paving from the Montana state line to US 85.  Oil activity comes and goes in the area so it is hard to predict what the truck traffic will be from year to year. I would vote against Adventure Cycling making any major changes in its route at this time.

[BikeliciousBabe]

Last summer I rode the new Northern Tier through Montana, diverting at Glendive to go north to the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Missouri.  Even though the oil field traffic was greatly reduced from the peak, there was enough inconsiderate large truck drivers that I found it greatly annoying, although not life threatening, and would not go there again myself. 

Maybe as an alternate NT route?

Eric

A couple of people from our group went there while doing the NT west to east.  Started the day in Culbertson, MT an went off route SE then back up to U.S. to get to Williston and then on to Lewis and Clark State Park.  Also took a guided tour of Ft. Union.  The NPS employee was really knowledgeable.

That was way back in '99.  Shame about 1804.  I remember it being virtually empty when we rode east of Williston to New Town. We did encounter a pheasant that had been recently hit by a car.  (Blood was still fresh.)  A member of the group plucked some feathers from it to put on our bikes.  Mine blew away when a heavy thunderstorm moved through camp in New Town.