City of Fargo Clears Up Parking Confusion

The city has added a total of 74 on–street parking spots between Broadway and 2nd Street this year

FARGO, N.D. — City officials describe the Main Avenue reconstruction project as a gateway into a safe and accessible corridor through the heart of Fargo.

But that safety was put in limbo for a short while.

It started back in August when a stretch of road on the corner of Broadway and Main Avenue caused a mix–up for drivers.

“The parking spots were kind of facing the wrong way, and because of that, people were parking the wrong way, against traffic,” said Fargo Mattress owner Derrick Fechtner.

But a North Dakota Department of Transportation engineer says the area wasn’t meant to be used for parking at all.

“It was striped as chevrons to keep traffic out of this area because of safety hazards. And, I guess, maybe, the spacing of the chevrons weren’t close enough. They kept them wide, so the vehicles were in there when they weren’t supposed to be. In fact, they were coming in the wrong direction, so they were crossing traffic, which made it really a big safety hazard,” said Duane Carlstrom.

Although some business owners say it worked for the best.

“People were coming in from the east, coming in from the west, and it actually worked very well. From what I saw, good or bad, people from either direction could get in, could get out,” said Wimmer’s Diamonds owner Brad Wimmer.

If anything, he says it simply shows how much of a need there is for more parking in the area.

“Hopefully, they’ll get a good track record now this fall and this winter on how this works with snow removal and parking, and our hope is that it goes right back in again after construction next year,” said Wimmer.

The city recently decided to trade the chevrons for stripes.

They’ve put in 11 diagonal parking spots, which will be there until Phase Two of the Main Avenue reconstruction project starting next spring.

“You know, we have the parking ramp just half a block away, and that helps a lot when people are comfortable parking there. Any time you can add more parking, though, it’s just going to help everybody around us,” said Fechtner.

The city has added a total of 74 on–street parking spots between Broadway and 2nd Street this year.