Bismarck tests an all way stop in place of the signal at 5th Street and Front Avenue

What the primary sources show

• The city of Bismarck is testing an all way stop at 5th Street and Front Avenue in place of the traffic signal. [KFYR-TV] [Bismarck Source]
• According to a City of Bismarck News Flash, the trial starts Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and will run for several months. [Bismarck Source]
• The signal was installed in 1978, and City Traffic Engineer Chris Holzer said that is well past the typical lifespan of 30 to 40 years for this equipment. [KFYR-TV] [Bismarck Source]
• Holzer said traffic volume at the intersection does not meet federal criteria for a signal, and a city study found an all way stop would shorten lines and reduce driver wait times. [KFYR-TV] [Bismarck Source]
• The city must replace or remove the signal during a road project planned for 2027 that affects parts of Front Avenue and 5th Street, and the permanent decision will be made as part of that project. [KFYR-TV] [Bismarck Source]
• City engineers will review crashes in the trial zone and work with BNSF Railroad to watch for southbound traffic backing up from Front Avenue onto the tracks just north of the intersection. [KFYR-TV] [Bismarck Source]
• If backups occur, the city will consider other options, such as free flow north and south traffic with stop signs controlling only east and west traffic. [Bismarck Source]

What they left out / still unanswered

• The trial runs for several months, but no end date has been announced.
• The city has not said what the 2027 project will cost or whether it will replace or remove the signal.
• No timeline or criteria were given for choosing the fallback option if southbound traffic backs up onto the BNSF tracks.

Official line vs. how each source framed it

• KFYR-TV: KFYR framed the trial as a possible change for downtown drivers and summarized the signal's age, federal volume criteria, the 2027 road work and BNSF coordination, but gave no start date and only said the trial would last several months. Read it → · Ads
• Bismarck Source: The Bismarck Source report gave the official start date and attributed the signal's age, the 30 to 40 year typical lifespan, the traffic study and the rail backup concern to City Traffic Engineer Chris Holzer and the city, and it added the fallback options if backups occur. Read it →

701 News writes these summaries from the sources above and checks every sentence against them. Read the originals for the full reporting. Corrections

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