The South Dakota Department of Transportation is holding four public meetings in the coming couple weeks to take input on its Tentative 2024–2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. Among the many documents offered for public review is this traffic count map on which much of the road improvement plan is based:
Outside the I-29/I-90 corridors, which predictably have the most consistently high traffic counts, the busiest long hauls appear to be Highway 14 from Brookings to Pierre and Highway 12 from Summit to Aberdeen. Perhaps just because I’m not as familiar with this route, I’m surprised to see that the busiest non-Interstate east-west route across the entire state appears to be the southernmost path across South Dakota, the combination of Highway 50 from Vermillion to Wagner, Highway 46 from Wagner to Pickstown, and Highway 18 from Pickstown to Edgemont. No other non-Interstate east-west route shows multiple hot spots of over 2,500 vehicles per day across West River.
The Tentative STIP proposes some reconstruction along that busy southern route east of Pine Ridge and Martin, some resurfacing west of Pickstown, and some “developmental projects” near Tyndall, Yankton, and Sioux City:
If you’d like a little more pavement in your neighborhood, you can speak up at these four meetings, all at 7 p.m. local time:
- Tuesday, July 11, Aberdeen Americinn
- Wednesday, July 12, Sioux Falls Southeast Technical College, Sullivan Health Center
- Thursday, July 13, Rapid City Ramkota
- Wednesday, July 19, Fort Pierre Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center
Each meeting has Zoom options for folks who can’t make it to town. STIP coordinator Levi Briggs will also take comments by phone or email through August 3.
I truly hope these proposed road projects go well and improve motorist safety and shorten commuting times. However, SDDOT’s hey diddle diddle, right down the middle project in Hot Springs has been, um, plagued with delays and surprises, and where US 385 (and city streets) used to be, mudholes now exist. The 1.5 miles between Detroit Avenue and Battle Mountain Avenue are “challenging.”
Rally is going to be SUCH a little treat this year.
Make comments that SD DOT must have more wildlife corridor crossing on highways and fewer tall fences.
SD DOT builds livestock crossings, usually box culverts under highways. There is no reason that SD DOT should not have more wildlife under and overpasses crossing our highways to reduce road kill and enhance wildlife.
John- Will do.
Thanks for the maps…it is a long, lonely highway between there and anywhere in South Dakota.
Please consider a second public comment.
Urge the SD DOT to use Roman concrete in their projects. Roman buildings, roads, aqueducts still stand and some remain useful. Roman concrete heals itself, becomes stronger with age, develops far fewer cracks, and lasts for centuries. This would be a vast improvement over the ‘rebuild it again’ road surface materials used by the SD DOT.
Why was/is Roman concrete so durable? https://news.mit.edu/2023/roman-concrete-durability-lime-casts-0106
SD DOT will have overcome the status quo interia from its suppliers. Those suppliers will not change their unsustainable business model without an economic shove.