Road Report: July 29, 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 underway

Sixth Street: Work on Sixth Street between Weber Avenue and the Big Sioux River is nearing completion. Concrete paving is in progress east of the railroad tracks, and crews have been working on the new railroad crossing signal.

Work remaining includes curb and gutter, mainline paving, sidewalks and median construction. The new bridge is open to traffic to provide access from Phillips Avenue to locations on the west side of the railroad tracks. All work is expected to be complete in late August.

Benson Road bridge: Placement of the new stainless steel reinforcing bars was completed recently on the bridge over the diversion channel on Benson Road just east of Minnesota Avenue. Concrete will be poured for the new bridge deck this week.

Solid stainless steel reinforcing bars are being used on this project instead of the more common, epoxy-coated carbon steel reinforcing bars to provide better resistance to degradation from winter snow removal chemicals that penetrate into the concrete.

The use of solid stainless steel reinforcing bars is expected to more than double the lifespan of the bridge deck. All lanes of traffic are expected to be open by November. All work won’t be completed until the spring of 2025.

Kiwanis Avenue: Both southbound lanes on Kiwanis Avenue closed between Ninth and 10th streets July 25 to allow construction crews to perform concrete repairs. Southbound traffic will be maintained in the center turn lane, while northbound traffic will not be impacted. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.

18th Street: The westbound lane on 18th Street closed between Prairie and Norton avenues July 25 to allow crews to perform accessible curb ramp improvements. Both eastbound and westbound traffic lanes shifted and narrowed to allow for one lane of traffic in each direction. This work is expected to be complete by mid-August.

22nd Street: The westbound lane on 22nd Street closed between Lake and Covell avenues July 25 to allow crews to perform accessible curb ramp improvements. Westbound traffic will be shifted into the center turn lane, while eastbound traffic will not be impacted. This work is expected to be complete by mid-August.

Minnesota Avenue: The outside southbound lane closure on Minnesota Avenue in place between 18th and 26th streets was extended south to 33rd Street on July 26 to allow crews to complete the sidewalk improvements along the west side of Minnesota. Northbound traffic will not be impacted. This is the final phase of the project, which included replacing portions of the sidewalk on both sides of Minnesota from 18th to 33rd streets. Work is expected to be complete in mid-to-late August.

Solberg Avenue: The outside northbound lane on Solberg Avenue closed between Valhalla Boulevard and Creek Side Drive on July 26 to allow crews to perform sidewalk repairs. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.

What’s next

Beginning today:

• 26th Street: The outside eastbound lane on 26th Street will be closed just east of Cleveland Avenue to allow crews to perform sidewalk repairs. This work is expected to be complete in about three days.
• 57th Street: The outside westbound lane on 57th Street will be closed at Oxbow Avenue to allow crews to perform concrete repairs. Westbound traffic will be maintained in the inside lane. The sidewalk along the north side of 57th at Oxbow also will be closed, with pedestrian traffic detoured to the sidewalk along the south side of 57th. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.
• 57th Street: The outside westbound lane on 57th Street will be closed at Ash Grove Avenue to allow crews to perform concrete repairs. Westbound traffic will be maintained in the inside lane. Eastbound traffic will not be impacted. The sidewalk along the north side of 57th at Ash Grove also will be closed, with pedestrian traffic detoured to the sidewalk along the south side of 57th. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.
• Minnesota Avenue: The outside northbound lane on Minnesota Avenue will be closed between 69th Street and St. Andrews Drive to allow crews to perform concrete repairs. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.
• Marion Road: The outside northbound lane on Marion Road will be closed between 39th and 41st streets to allow crews to work on electrical lines. The outside westbound right turn lane on 41st also will be closed just east of Marion Road. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.
• 85th Street: The eastbound lanes on 85th Street will be closed just west of Louise Avenue to allow crews to work on installing electrical lines. Eastbound traffic will be shifted across the recently removed median to the inside westbound lane and return to the correct side of the street on the opposite side of the intersection. This work is expected to be complete in August.
• Louise Avenue: Beginning at 8 p.m., Xcel Energy will close the southbound left turn lane on Louise Avenue just north of 85th Street for utility potholing. This work will be completed before the morning commute.

Louise Avenue: Beginning on Tuesday evening, Xcel Energy will close the outside northbound lane on Louise Avenue just north of 85th Street for utility potholing. This work will be done overnight, beginning at 8 p.m. and completed before the morning commute.

I-29: Beginning on Tuesday crews will begin shoulder resurfacing work on Interstate 29 from exit 84, Interstate 90, for approximately one mile north. The inside and outside shoulders in both the northbound and southbound lanes will be resurfaced. Additional work on the project includes cold milling asphalt concrete, embankment surfacing and replacement of highway signage. Interstate traffic will be reduced to a single lane while operations are being conducted on the shoulders and guardrail. This work is expected to be complete in November.

Russell Street: Beginning on Wednesday, the inside eastbound and inside westbound lanes of the Russell Street bridges over the Big Sioux River will be closed to allow crews to perform bridge maintenance work. Traffic will be maintained in the two outside lanes in both the eastbound and westbound directions.  In the upcoming weeks, the location of the lane closures on the bridges will vary.  At a minimum, one lane of traffic in each direction will always remain open. This work is expected to be completed in October.