United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck is officially marking the start of a campus expansion.

A ceremony is planned Friday at a 135-acre tract of land immediately south of the current campus.

The $200 million expansion will be done in phases. Construction began in April on infrastructure, including earthwork and water, sewer and electric facilities.

The existing 105-acre campus was acquired by United Tribes as surplus property from the government. The 100-year-old buildings were originally built for the military and used as a training center and a detention center during World War II. After the war, the complex was a planning base for the construction of dams on the Missouri River.

Associated Press