By 2030 the metropolitan area's populations is going to be approaching 300,000 people. I would imagine traffic counts are going to increase significantly in the next 20 years, not only around the city but also the number of vehicles attempting to get to downtown. We should be planning for an interstate loop around the city (i.e. I-294) and a downtown route (i.e. I-394) that could go from I-29 (just north of Main Avenue), travel just south of NDSU, go through downtown Fargo/Moorhead and connect up with Highway 10/Highway 336/I-94 in Minnesota as it exits out of Moorhead. This downtown connector could easily be placed where the northern railroad tracks in downtown currently are located. As the interstate approaches the downtown area, it could be underground as to minimize the noise and space the infrastructure actually occupied.

I-94 is going to need to be made 4 lanes eventually as will I-29 as they are running through the metro area. This means the I-94/I-29 interchange needs to be rebuilt to handle that traffic demand and should incorporate flyover ramps for all 4 connections (as used for connecting Southbound I-29 to Eastbound I-94) instead of circular ramps which demand traffic slow down considerably.

We should also eventually connect the airport directly to the interstate as I expect the boardings and shipping traffic at Hector International to continue to grow into the future.

With the interstate loop circling the metropolitan area, you'd see development along that freeway. Efforts could be made to design it to encourage growth and redevelopment of the northern section of the city. We should also minimize the development of residential areas right along the interstate and prefer commercial, retail, medical, institutional, governmental and industrial uses as they don't necessitate the need for sound barriers like are used on I-94. The residential could be located just off of those properties.