Road Report: April 21, 2025

Construction season is here, so we’re back with our weekly look at what projects are done, where you’ll find traffic impacts and what’s scheduled next.

What’s underway

85th & Heritage/Ellis: Crews are making progress on the 85th Street project between Sioux Falls and Tea.

Paving of the roundabout at 85th Street and Heritage Parkway/Ellis Road is in progress.

Asphalt paving on 85th Street between Heritage/Ellis and Sundowner Avenue will begin in May.

All work is expected to be complete later this fall. Traffic on Heritage/Ellis is being maintained on a temporary asphalt access road that was constructed last year.

85th Street is open to local traffic only.

This is the second year of construction on this joint city of Sioux Falls/city of Tea project to improve 85th Street between Heritage Parkway/Ellis Road and Sundowner Avenue.

The intersection of 85th and Sundowner was completed last year, and the remainder of the project will be completed this year.

Arrowhead: Work continues on the Arrowhead Parkway project east of Veterans Parkway.

Grading, sanitary sewer and storm drainage work is in progress and will continue for the next several months.

Arrowhead Parkway will remain closed east of Veterans Parkway until this fall.

Veterans Parkway is open to one lane of traffic in each direction at the intersection.

Work in 2025 is expected to be complete in November, with one lane of traffic in each direction being restored over the winter.

Work will begin again as weather allows in 2026. All lanes are expected to be fully open to traffic in late 2026.

What’s next

I-29: Beginning today, work is scheduled to begin on the Interstate 29 northbound and southbound structures over Skunk Creek in Sioux Falls. As part of this work, the northbound on-ramp at 26th Street will be closed beginning today and will remain closed until mid-June. Initial work will take place in the east two lanes of I-29 in both directions, and traffic on I-29 will be maintained in the west two lanes. Once work is complete in the east lanes in mid-June, work will shift to the west lanes. All work is expected to be complete in August.

10th & 11th: Beginning at noon today, the parking lane along 10th and 11th streets will be closed downtown to allow for sanitary work to take place in the alley between Phillips and Main avenues. Tonight, 10th and 11th will be reduced to one lane between Phillips  and Main to allow crews to complete the work. This project is anticipated to be completed overnight, and all lanes are expected to reopen to traffic by noon Tuesday.

Cliff Avenue: Beginning today, the southbound lanes of Cliff Avenue will be closed between the Big Sioux River bridge and Tomar Road to allow crews to perform concrete repairs. One lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained in the northbound lanes. In the upcoming weeks, the location of the lane closures on Cliff will vary between the bridge and Tomar. At a minimum, one lane of traffic in each direction will remain open at all times. Access to businesses, parks and homes will be maintained. Access to side streets will be maintained when possible. This work, which is separate from the work happening at the Interstate 229 interchange, is expected to be complete in mid-August.

Minnesota Avenue: Beginning today, the outside southbound lane on Minnesota Avenue will be closed between 39th Street and the Yankton Trail Park entrance to allow crews to perform underground utility exploration. The closure will be approximately two blocks at a time as work progresses. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.

Minnesota & 14th: Beginning today, the outside northbound lane on Minnesota Avenue will be closed at 14th Street to allow crews to wash windows on an adjacent building. On Tuesday, the outside westbound lane on 14th will be closed at Minnesota to allow crews to wash other windows on the building. This work is expected to be complete by Wednesday.

Sycamore Avenue: Beginning Friday, Sycamore Avenue will be closed from 69th to 85th streets to allow crews to begin construction on the next segment of South Veterans Parkway. A signed detour will direct traffic to Cliff Avenue and Highway 11. Sycamore will remain closed until project completion, which is expected in late 2026.

National Work Zone Awareness Week: April 21-25 is National Work Zone Awareness Week. This is an annual awareness campaign held at the start of construction season to remind drivers to be attentive through work zones during the busy summer travel months. “Respect the zone so we all get home” is the official theme for NWZAW 2025. NWZAW has been observed for more than 20 years and was launched as a public awareness campaign to help all drivers understand their role in keeping fellow motorists and roadway workers safe. State departments of transportation, federal agencies and other organizations participate each year in NWZAW to distribute public service announcements about work zone safety and host events to highlight the issue. To learn more about national efforts for NWZAW, visit nwzaw.org.