Williston continuing to grow despite oil industry downturn

The Associated Press//June 29, 2015//

Listen to this article

WILLISTON, N.D. — A downturn in the oil industry isn’t having much of an effect on construction in the North Dakota oil patch hub of Williston.

The value of private enterprise building permits issued through March is $26.5 million, the Williston Herald reported. And there are numerous publicly funded projects underway or in the works.

“At the same time last year, it was $45.5 million, so obviously it’s slower, but there’s still $26.5 million,” said Williston Economic Development Director Shawn Wenko. “That’s a very good year for building.”

The projects currently underway in Williston include a $50 million high school and $122 million in city and county road improvements. Additionally, a $162 million state-funded truck bypass project recently opened to two lanes of traffic, and a $250 million airport relocation is moving ahead to the design phase.

Housing is taking off in the Williston area, with 2,126 new apartments scheduled to come on the marker by the end of this year, along with new retail spaces and restaurants.

There’s just a tremendous discussion about what is coming,” Wenko said. “Back in January, people thought the sky was falling, but I don’t see that happening at all.”

Construction jobs are taking the edge off oil job losses, according to Cindy Sanford, manager of the local Job Service North Dakota office.

“Construction and the oilfield have a lot of common skills,” she said. “People are going into the construction sector.”