From downtown to Kiwanis, newly designated boulevard designed to walk, bike

Biking or walking through part of central Sioux Falls is designed to become easier in the next couple of years, with various improvements between downtown and Kiwanis Avenue.

The city has designated a route as the 15th Street Bicycle Boulevard, going from about Ninth Street and Phillips Avenue out to the Great Plains Zoo.

“In general, there’s been a need to find a good, safe route from central Sioux Falls west out to the bike trail,” director of public works Mark Cotter said. “A lot of the elements are going to come together after the next two construction seasons.”

The boulevard will begin off the downtown bike trail with existing bike lanes east along Ninth Street until Spring Avenue. At that point, travelers will  use Ninth Street until arriving at Prairie Avenue.

This year, traffic circles are being construction at Ninth and Duluth Avenue and Ninth and Prairie.

“The traffic circles really condition traffic to slow down, so you’re starting to create an environment that’s more conducive to bikers and pedestrians,” Cotter said.

Once bicyclists turn south on Prairie, they’ll be able to use traffic signals the city plans to install at 10th and 11th streets to help navigate those busy east-west streets.

“That will really allow for some safe passage, dedicated protected movements for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross those two intersections,” Cotter said.

The route then continues from Prairie west on 15th Street, where the city already has installed some small bump-outs, or chicanes, to help slow traffic.

“And we need to do some paving and striping,” Cotter said. “We have the signal crossing at Kiwanis already built.”

The end of the boulevard will go from north of 15th across Kiwanis Avenue and end up in the area of Sherman Park and the Great Plains Zoo. The idea is people will use it both to help commute from home and in their leisure activities, Cotter said.

“We want commuters to feel safe,” said Jacquelinee Franken, communications director with Falls Area Bicyclists. “We think when safety increases and visibility increases, it will encourage people in these great weather times to use bikes.”

The bike boulevard is a good step toward addressing one reason many people don’t commute on a bike to work, she said: It takes too long to get around town.

“So cutting that down, making it more efficient and cleaning it up and streamlining it is more efficient for people in the workforce,” she said. “Getting commute times down and increasing access in parts of the city from certain neighborhoods.”

There will be signage installed to point toward both the trail and downtown, Cotter said.

“We’re trying to use more active transportation options to get to work and for people in the center part of the city to get to the bike trail,” he said. “They can go down to the river, and if they want to go over to the zoo and get on the trail … or want to run downtown, it gives that option.”

Ensuring pedestrians and cyclists feel safe along the way is key, Franken said.

“We want to continue those things and see long-term success so the city can fulfill more projects in the future to slow those busier areas down,” she said.