Sick of orange cones? City wraps up construction season

Megan Raposa -

Simplified: The construction workload for the Sioux Falls area was almost triple a typical year, according to Harry Johnston, area engineer for state department of transportation. Here's a look at the status of some of the big projects in the city.

Why it matters

  • Between the state and the city's Department of Public Works, more than 50 miles of roadway had some amount of work done over the last nine months.
  • That includes everything from major reconstruction to asphalt overlay, and all told the city budgeted $67 million for highways and streets this year.
  • Some of these projects – like the construction of South Veterans Parkway – will continue for years into the future, while others, like the reconstruction of Arrowhead Parkway and Six Mile Road, were wrapped up in recent weeks.
“Our teams did tremendous work this season to maintain our roadways and meet the growing and evolving needs of our transportation network,” Principal Engineer Brad Ludens said. “All the projects represent our commitment to helping people move throughout Sioux Falls in a smoother, more efficient manner.”

What's the status on some big projects?

Here's some of the big stuff that happened this year:

  • 85th Street and Cliff Avenue: Cliff Avenue was widened to four lanes with a raised median and turn lanes to help increase street capacity by Harrisburg's new Freshman Academy. This project was mostly completed in September.
  • Arrowhead Parkway and Six Mile Road: The city and the state worked together to reconstruct Arrowhead to have four lanes with a median. This project was completed at the end of September, but some lanes will remained closed as the finishing touches are put into place.
  • Western Avenue and I-229: Western Avenue saw bridge repairs, resurfacing and a widened northbound on-ramp over I-229. That work was completed last week, and all lanes are open to traffic.
  • North Marion Road: The city and Minnehaha County are working together to reconstruct Marion Road between 258th Street (MC Hwy 130) and Memory Lane, as well as a portion of MC Hwy 130, due to the increased traffic from development in the area. That project is expected to finish up this month.

What happens next?

Here's some stuff that's still in the works:

  • 41st Street and I-29: Lots of work happened on the new diverging diamond-style interchange, including paving on the east side of the interstate, replacement of the bridge deck and adding a pedestrian route across the bridge. This project is expected to be wrapped up in the spring.
  • Benson Road and I-229: Another diverging diamond is in earlier stages at Benson and I-229, with work starting earlier this year. This project will widen Bensen Road to three lanes and include the city's first triple left-turn lane. That's all set to be done in 2025.
  • South Veterans Parkway: Work on the first segment of this multi-year project started between Cliff and Western Avenues. More on that here.