The City of Fargo, in coordination with the City of Moorhead and the Federal Highway Administration, is proposing to replace the bridge crossing over the Red River of the North (Red River) connecting 12th Avenue North in Fargo and 15th Avenue North in Moorhead. The bridge serves as a critical two-state river crossing connecting North Dakota and Minnesota within the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. The bridge was originally opened to traffic in 1988 as a privately operated toll bridge. Now, it is jointly owned by the cities of Fargo and Moorhead.

After the completion of the Fargo Moorhead Diversion project, the existing bridge will still continue to be impacted by high river levels. The diversion is designed to activate when the Red River reaches 37 feet and is designed that way to reduce downstream impacts. The existing bridge floods when the river reaches approximately 28.5 feet, far before the Diversion is activated. The existing bridge has needed to be closed seven times for a duration up to 6 weeks each time in the last 16 years. When the bridge closes, up to 10,000 vehicles per day must be detoured through downtown Fargo and Moorhead to either the 1st Avenue North, Northern Pacific Avenue, or the Main Avenue bridge, an approximate 3-mile detour. This detour must also be utilized by the first responders and emergency service vehicles of the Red River Regional Dispatch Center, a joint venture of first responders that serve both Fargo and Moorhead. This detour greatly reduces the efficiency and effectiveness of the shared first responder network, including ambulance service.