Road Report: July 1, 2024

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 done

41st & I-29: The big news of the week: Get ready to experience Sioux Falls’ first diverging diamond interchange. The project at 41st Street and Interstate 29 began in 2022 and also included reconstruction of 41st Street between Marion Road and Shirley Avenue.

The multiyear project “has gone very well,” said Mike Cotter, the city’s director of public works. “And it’s given us a chance to upgrade 41st Street, the busiest street in the state. … That arterial street was tired, and it times well with this improvement.”

The diverging diamond design is “a high-capacity, very safe interchange,” he added. “I think that’s what drivers expect us to do and what they will experience when they drive through the diverging diamond.”

The name itself might make more sense if you think of it as a “double crossover,” Cotter said. The design eliminates left-hand turns for vehicles in the area, which statistically is a more dangerous movement, he said.

“It flows very well, and I think the learning curve will be fairly short, and people will see the value and benefit of how they operate,” he said.

Additional diverging diamond interchanges under construction in the next several years in and around Sioux Falls include Benson Road and Interstate 229, Highway 11 and Interstate 90 in Brandon and 85th Street and I-29.

So now it’s time to learn how to drive the diverging diamond interchange.

Here’s how it will look driving west:

And then here’s how to turn south to I-29:

85th & Tallgrass: Additionally, the intersection of 85th Street and Tallgrass Avenue will reopen to traffic today. There will continue to be intermittent lane closures in the intersection as crews continue working on the adjacent sidewalk and site restoration work. Tallgrass Avenue between 74th and 85th streets remains closed to allow crews to reconstruct and widen the street. This work is expected to be complete later this fall.

What’s underway

Interstate 90: On June 24, crews began shoulder resurfacing work on Interstate 90 from Exit 390 at Buffalo Ridge east of Hartford to the Kiwanis Avenue overpass in Sioux Falls. The inside and outside shoulders in both the eastbound and westbound lanes will be resurfaced. In addition to shoulder resurfacing, the project will include miscellaneous guardrail improvements on I-90 and I-29 from the 60th Street North overpass to 259th Street. Interstate traffic will be reduced to a single lane while work is being performed on the shoulders and guardrail. This work is expected to be complete this fall.

Cliff Avenue: Work began June 25 on Cliff Avenue between 10th Street and Benson Road. The outside northbound and southbound lanes will be intermittently closed to allow crews to perform storm drainage repairs. Traffic will be maintained in the inside driving lanes at all times. This work is expected to be complete in about three weeks, weather permitting.

Solberg Avenue: The outside northbound lane on Solberg Avenue between Valhalla Boulevard and Creekside Drive closed June 25 to allow crews to perform retaining wall repairs. This work is expected to be complete by the end of July, weather permitting.

Benson & I-229: Lewis and St. Paul avenues closed on the south side of Benson Road on June 26 to allow crews to perform concrete paving work on Benson Road as part of the Benson/I-229 interchange reconstruction project.

These intersections are expected to reopen in about two weeks.

Other work happening on this project includes bridge deck repairs on the bridge over the interstate and paving of the southbound on-ramp, which is expected to reopen to traffic this week.

All lanes of traffic on Benson are expected to reopen to traffic this fall, with the final work to convert the interchange into the diverging diamond configuration expected to take place in the spring of 2025.

Slurry seal work: The city’s annual slurry seal project kicked off last week.

A slurry seal is a protective seal coat that extends the life of pavement.

Typically done on asphalt pavements in good condition, a slurry seal provides a new wearing course and preserves the underlying pavement, preventing the need for more expensive repairs in the future.

The slurry seal process is fast-moving, and after application, streets generally are reopened in less than one day.

A slurry seal is a low-cost treatment used to extend the life of a street in good condition and address minor defects.

A slurry seal is a half-inch layer applied on top of the existing asphalt surface by a paver and is a mixture of asphalt oil, small rock and other additives.

The slurry seal work is expected to be complete in a few weeks, weather permitting. Here’s a closer look at how it works:

The work is mostly focused on neighborhood streets, but major streets scheduled for slurry seal this year include Sertoma Avenue between 12th and 26th streets; Sertoma Avenue between 41st and 57th streets; 26th Street between Katie and Sertoma avenues; Grange Avenue between Fifth and 37th streets; and Cliff Avenue between 57th and 69th streets.

Click here for an interactive map showing where the city is doing slurry seal work.

What’s next

Sixth Street: Beginning today, Sixth Street will be closed to through traffic between Phillips Avenue and the bridge over the Big Sioux River to allow crews from Xcel Energy to work on their electric facilities. This work is expected to be complete by the end of the day.