Editor's note: This is the 14th in a series of reports on construction project updates in the area and information about detours and lane closures.

FARGO — The $3.75-million Interstate 94 safety barrier construction project has entered a new phase.

Work has begun flattening the median with extra dirt and soon crews will install high-tension cable fence from the 42nd Street overpass in Fargo to the Sheyenne Street interchange in West Fargo.

Work will result in more lane closures and slower speeds for the upcoming month until work is completed by a target date at the end of August. The median will be flattened along most of the interstate to provide the proper height for the barrier fence.

The construction is part of a major effort across North Dakota to raise the ditch levels to improve effectiveness of safety barriers.

Work started a few weeks ago on what will be a concrete barrier between west and eastbound lanes from the Interstate 29 interchange to the 42nd Street overpass, one of the most heavily-trafficked areas. The new barriers, similar to those on Interstate 29, will be completed at the end of September.

North Dakota Department of Transportation Assistant District Engineer Joe Peyerl said the specially designed concrete barriers are made with reinforced steel, preventing any crossover crashes.

Another added safety design is if a vehicle hits the barrier in a head-on collision, it would be deflected sideways, avoiding a direct hit that could cause more serious injuries.

While crews work on the rest of the barrier system with high tension cable fencing from 42nd Street to Sheyenne Street, one lane in each direction will close from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Peyerl said more work is continuing on the median barriers in two separate projects farther west on I-94. One is a 22.5 mile stretch from Buffalo to near Mapleton. The other is a 20-mile stretch in the Valley City area.

"We're chipping away at it," he said about getting as much of the interstate barriers installed as possible in the coming years. In Minnesota, a similar median barrier system is in place along most of I-94 from Moorhead to the Twin Cities.

Peyerl said cross-over crashes on interstates are the "most deadliest."

He said putting the barrier fence on the stretch of I-94 between Sheyenne Street to near Mapleton is waiting to be done until a project on the new West Fargo interchange is completed on the far west side of the city.

17TH AVENUE NORTH: The avenue has been closed to traffic between University Drive South and 11th Street South to allow for street repairs. Traffic will be detoured to 16th Avenue South and 18th Avenue South. The road is expected to fully reopen by the end of the day Wednesday, Aug. 3.

52ND AVENUE SOUTH: Traffic has been reduced to one lane on the eastbound lanes through the intersection with Veterans Boulevard South. Work is needed to complete a paving project on Veterans Boulevard between 52nd Avenue South and 53rd Avenue South. The closure is expected to last two weeks.

FIRST AVENUE NORTH: One lane of traffic has been closed in the east and westbound lanes of the avenue between 13th Street North and 18th Street North for private gas utility work.

Xcel Energy anticipates the project to take four to six weeks with the roadway to fully reopen to traffic by Sept. 7.

Xcel said it plans to complete work on the north side of First Avenue North before they switch to the south side.

STATE HIGHWAY 55/59: Construction has started on the stretch of highway between Elbow Lake and Barrett.

Phase One will take place between County Road 54 and County Road 21 with traffic detoured onto other county roads in the area through October.

For a month in mid-September, motorists and residents can expect additional closures during Phase Two of the construction on the east and west ends of the project near Elbow Lake and Barrett. That work will also involve detours or lane closure and flaggers.