Taking a closer look at some of Sioux Falls road construction projects

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Roadwork season is in full swing across Sioux Falls.

With detours, lane closures, and some roads completely blocked off it doesn’t take much driving to find some of the city’s biggest projects.

While people may complain about some of the closures most projects will not only give drivers a smoother ride but also help cars last longer on the roadways.

“If you’ve ever driven on Cliff Avenue between 26th Street and 33rd Street you’ll hear the thump thump thump thump as you drive over the pavement joints and that’s one of the main issues we have on roadways is the joint deterioration,” City of Sioux Falls Principal Engineer Brad Ludens said.

All of the city’s road projects are essential, not only for fixing the roads but for repairing and adding to the infrastructure below them.

A large section of Minnesota Avenue has been torn up since early April as the city works to put in new water mains below the street.

“The 42-inch water main is the main pipe that distributes water from the water treatment plant south to the rest of the city and on a really dry day in the middle of July that pipe can carry 40% of the city’s water supply,” Ludens said.

Most of the city’s road projects are expected to be completed by the start of the school year with others such as Minnesota Avenue planned to wrap up in November.

“In South Dakota, we only have so many months out of the year in order to get construction done, we feel the pain just like everybody else but at the end of the day the inconvenience is worth it to have those improved rides and the improved infrastructure in the ground,” Ludens said.

For more information on Sioux Falls road construction projects click here.

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