Road Report: July 10, 2023

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

Sixth Street bridge: Progress continues on the Unity Bridge and Sixth Street project in downtown Sioux Falls.

Crews are working on water, sanitary sewer and storm drainage.

Quartzite is shallow in areas where utilities are being installed, so it requires extensive rock blasting.

A temporary road in front of Sioux Area Metro also is being built so crews can continue working east while maintaining traffic.

Crews also are continuing to work on falsework for the bridge, which will support the concrete when poured.  This project will be fully completed in 2024.

85th & Cliff: Work continues on the 85th Street and Cliff Avenue project and is progressing well.

The concrete intersection of 85th and Cliff is complete. On 85th, the contractor has graded the stretch, installed fabric and laid the aggregate base course, and the curb and gutter are being worked on.

On Cliff Avenue, all underground utility work is complete, and the contractor is preparing to install underdrain, fabric and aggregate base course.

85th Street is close to being ready for asphalt paving, and Cliff Avenue should be ready to pave toward the end of July.  The project is still on schedule for mid-August completion.

Veterans Parkway: Work on Veterans Parkway from Western to Cliff avenues is progressing. The contractor is installing sanitary sewer and water main in the intersection of Veterans and Cliff.

Dirt is continuing to be hauled from the borrow pit that is east of Cliff to build the grade between Cliff and 85th Street.

Finally, the bridge contractor is working to stabilize the embankment by installing aggregate columns in the grade adjacent to the proposed bridge over 85th.

Minnesota & 26th: Last week, the outside lanes for northbound and southbound traffic on Minnesota Avenue closed just before the 26th Street intersection. Also, only the outside eastbound lane on 26th, just west of Minnesota, will be open for all eastbound traffic. Anco Underground will be working in the area. The work is expected to be complete with all lanes reopened by July 21.

Marion Road: Last week, North Marion Road, which turns into 471st Avenue, closed from Minnehaha County Highway 130, also known as 258th Street, south for a half-mile to allow crews to reconstruct and widen Marion Road. Improvements will include new water main, a storm drainage system, street lighting and concrete paving. Motorists should use Interstate 29 or 470th Avenue as alternate routes. This work is expected to be complete in late October.

What’s next

Benson Road: Two areas of work on Benson Road that originally were scheduled to begin July 5 will begin today. The westbound left turn lane and the inside eastbound through lane on Benson Road will be closed just east of Cliff Avenue to allow crews to perform a concrete pavement repair. The two westbound through lanes and the outside eastbound through lane on Benson will be maintained at all times during construction. Traffic on Cliff will not be impacted with this work. All work is expected to be completed within one week. In addition, the outside westbound lane on Benson Road will be closed near the intersection of Eighth Avenue to allow crews to perform concrete pavement repairs. The inside westbound lane on Benson Road will be maintained at all times during construction.  All work is expected to be completed within one week.

Western Avenue: Beginning today, Western Avenue will be closed in segments from 41st to Madison streets to allow crews to apply a slurry seal. The first segment to be closed will be today from 41st to 26th streets, followed by 26th to 12th streets on Tuesday, and then the final segment will be from 12th to Madison on Wednesday. Each segment will be opened by 5 p.m. All segments will be completed by Wednesday evening. Traffic will be maintained to the Midco Aquatic Center using 24th Street.

14th Street: Beginning today, the outside westbound and outside eastbound lanes will be closed on 14th Street at the railroad tracks between Fourth and Fifth avenues to allow crews to install signal upgrades. Weather permitting, this work is anticipated to be completed within one week.

Sherman Park: Beginning today, the upper Sherman Park loop road will be closed to traffic. The playground and restroom will remain open during construction activities. The loop road will be milled and overlaid with asphalt. Weather permitting, the loop road will be reopened by July 25.

Ebenezer Avenue: Beginning today, Ebenezer Avenue will be closed between Fifth and Delbridge streets. Precision Dirtworks will be working on new utilities. The work is expected to be complete in one week.

Duluth Avenue: Beginning today, Duluth Avenue will be closed between 57th Street and Batcheller Lane to allow crews to do an asphalt overlay on the street. The work is expected to be complete by the end of the day.

Yellowstone Lane: Beginning on Tuesday, Yellowstone Lane will be closed between 57th Street and Batcheller Lane to allow crews to do an asphalt overlay on the street. The work is expected to be complete by the end of the day.

Interstate 229: Beginning Wednesday, the northbound left and center lanes will be closed on Interstate 229 at the Rice Street bridge for concrete repair. The far right lane will remain open to traffic. The closures are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In case of inclement weather, the work will be done Thursday.