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State to Close Highway 12 East of Aberdeen in August to Install Lights and Signals

By Cory Allen Heidelberger on 2018-07-27

traffic signalIf you’re coming to Aberdeen from anywhere east in August (like for the Brown County Fair!), you might want to come up 281. Bob Mercer notes that the state is coming to install new lights and signals at the intersection of Highway 12 and Brown County Road 14 on July 31. That’s the corner just east of the airport, where all the trucks turn to go to the AGP soybean plant construction site. Apparently this operation will require closing the intersection “for about four weeks.”

I’m surprised that an operation that appears not to require tearing up the roadbed will require closing the road to traffic. Maybe they’ll just be holding traffic and flagging folks through when possible. If I make a trip to Groton, I’ll check out what the detour situation is.

Published in South Dakota

6 Comments

  1. Mrs. Nelson 2018-07-27 07:19

    Oh this is gonna be a nightmare for my job…

  2. Wayne 2018-07-27 07:28

    I imagine they need to cut sensors into the road to make it a smarter traffic controller.

  3. Cathy 2018-07-27 21:12

    When they replaced the lights and signals at 81 and 50 in Yankton, they tore the crap out of the roads doing electrical work. They didn’t close the intersection completely, but it was a mess.

  4. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2018-07-28 13:53

    It will be a bummer to have to wait another mile before putting pedal to the medal on the way to Groton, but I can attest to the need for some controlled access at that intersection. Getting onto Highway 12 from north or south during rush hour is hazardous.

  5. DR 2018-07-30 15:07

    According to the Hub City Radio news desk, 12 will not be closed as stated last week.

  6. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2018-07-30 21:41

    Thanks for pointing that out, DR… but oh ho! DOT has revised its press release without noting its correction. Here’s the text Bob Mercer quoted directly from the state press release last Friday:

    The intersection of Highway 12 and Brown County 14 will be closed to traffic on Tuesday, July 31, for about four weeks [SDDOT, quoted by Bob Mercer, 2018.07.27].

    Here’s what appears on the state press release now, still dated 2018.07.27:

    At some instances during the project there may be a lane closure, but US Highway 12 will remain open to through traffic. Starting July 31, Brown County 14 will be closed for regrading and facilitation of the signal construction for about 20 working days [SDDOT press release, revised some time after 2018.07.27].

    So we can still go visit our friends in Groton without detouring through Bath… but give the flaggers a brake!

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