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[SD Mapman]

So it turns out the Lacrosse DDI did resume construction, I just missed it: all of the new stoplights are in place on the south side, and the smaller stoplight posts are in place on the north side median. Given the continuous on and off snow we keep getting every week, I'm not sure when the traffic configuration will change again, but when it does, it should match the DDI pattern instead of the current diamond layout.

Due south of this project, the Lacrosse-Omaha intersection rebuild is in full swing, with all of the signal lights removed (though as of now, two of the four old mast arms are still in place), only one lane in each direction on Omaha, and a westbound-only RIRO with Lacrosse to the north. The south side of the intersection has already been torn up for reconstruction, and the crews were still working through the snow as I drove past this morning on my way to work.

Gotta get as much done as you can before August.

[X99]

As of Friday, the Lacrosse DDI is now open in its final configuration. Still one lane each way for now as the islands and pavement are finished up, but the crossover is now in effect for all traffic and the signals are all active. I've been through it three times so far and almost everything is running smooth, but since the one open lane southbound is the inner lane, there are still some backups with the eastbound on ramp movement.

Edit 5/1: clarifying that as of now, the west side islands (Phase 3B in the original diagram) are complete (and very maroon), but the east side islands (Phase 3A) are still waiting to be built. All of the stoplights are arrow shaped as well, all pointing up. Another interesting part of the new configuration is the stoplights on both directions of both offramps merging onto Lacrosse. Most DDIs to my knowledge add yield signs there, allowing traffic to merge onto the crossroad as openings become available, but in this case you have to wait for the light before you can join the crossroad, even on a right turn.

[SD Mapman]

As of Friday, the Lacrosse DDI is now open in its final configuration. Still one lane each way for now as the islands and pavement are finished up, but the crossover is now in effect for all traffic and the signals are all active. I've been through it three times so far and almost everything is running smooth, but since the one open lane southbound is the inner lane, there are still some backups with the eastbound on ramp movement.

Edit 5/1: clarifying that as of now, the west side islands (Phase 3B in the original diagram) are complete (and very maroon), but the east side islands (Phase 3A) are still waiting to be built. All of the stoplights are arrow shaped as well, all pointing up. Another interesting part of the new configuration is the stoplights on both directions of both offramps merging onto Lacrosse. Most DDIs to my knowledge add yield signs there, allowing traffic to merge onto the crossroad as openings become available, but in this case you have to wait for the light before you can join the crossroad, even on a right turn.

We'll see if that's an SDDOT thing or just because they expect heavy traffic going to the Mall and Rushmore Crossing (for those not familiar with the area those are on opposite sides of I-90). Over in Sioux Falls, they're moving forward with the DDIs at I-29 Exit 77 (41st St) and I-229 Exit 9 (Benson Rd). Of these two I expect the 41st one to have stoplights while the Benson one should just be a yield sign (shouldn't be a DDI based on traffic but better overbuilt than underbuilt IMO). There will also be a DDI at I-90 Exit 406 (Brandon/SD 11) maybe this year we'll see.

[X99]

The Lacrosse interchange is now fully complete and operational. I don't really know what I'm gonna post about here now, as that was the biggest road project in the area. Maybe I'll give updates on the sinkhole that opened up in the middle of the 7th/St Charles intersection, that was blocked off and then promptly forgotten about.

Jokes aside, there is still another major project going on- the Omaha/Lacrosse intersection rebuild. The current configuration is supposed to be a RIRO on Lacrosse south of the Omaha intersection, but it seems something went wrong with the first phase, as that junction closed shortly after the lane shift on Omaha, leaving the intersection as a simple two-way one lane road on Omaha.

We'll see if that's an SDDOT thing or just because they expect heavy traffic going to the Mall and Rushmore Crossing (for those not familiar with the area those are on opposite sides of I-90).

That makes sense somewhat for the Crossing, but not for the Mall, which is slowly closing down with plans to replace it with an industrial park. (I'm hoping that never happens though- those two Chinese restaurants in the food court are some of the easiest meals I can get on my lunch break.)

Oh, and one other thing- it seems they set the lights up wrong. If the first crossover light is green, the second one is red. There are also extra cycles for the ramp lights instead of the two-phase setup of a normal DDI. No clue why they did that, and I wonder if it will change in the future.

[SD Mapman]

The Lacrosse interchange is now fully complete and operational. I don't really know what I'm gonna post about here now, as that was the biggest road project in the area. Maybe I'll give updates on the sinkhole that opened up in the middle of the 7th/St Charles intersection, that was blocked off and then promptly forgotten about.

Jokes aside, there is still another major project going on- the Omaha/Lacrosse intersection rebuild. The current configuration is supposed to be a RIRO on Lacrosse south of the Omaha intersection, but it seems something went wrong with the first phase, as that junction closed shortly after the lane shift on Omaha, leaving the intersection as a simple two-way one lane road on Omaha.

We'll see if that's an SDDOT thing or just because they expect heavy traffic going to the Mall and Rushmore Crossing (for those not familiar with the area those are on opposite sides of I-90).

That makes sense somewhat for the Crossing, but not for the Mall, which is slowly closing down with plans to replace it with an industrial park. (I'm hoping that never happens though- those two Chinese restaurants in the food court are some of the easiest meals I can get on my lunch break.)

Oh, and one other thing- it seems they set the lights up wrong. If the first crossover light is green, the second one is red. There are also extra cycles for the ramp lights instead of the two-phase setup of a normal DDI. No clue why they did that, and I wonder if it will change in the future.

Interesting, hadn't heard the mall was closing down, would be sad if it does (those Chinese places are legit good). Are the stoplights programmed by the city or by DOT? That sounds like something you could complain about to the city engineer.

[SoDakInterstateEnthusiast]

That makes sense somewhat for the Crossing, but not for the Mall, which is slowly closing down with plans to replace it with an industrial park. (I'm hoping that never happens though- those two Chinese restaurants in the food court are some of the easiest meals I can get on my lunch break.)

I thought I heard somewhere that that mall and the Aberdeen Mall are run by the same owners or something? Anyways that makes sense because that's all our mall is too - the few stray stores and the Chinese restaurant - the only active food court stall out of five. (Admittedly, Marshall's and Dunham's and a few other stores are making it feel more lively, but I think those are only surviving because there's quite a demand since Aberdeen keeps losing everything else in town.)

The Lacrosse interchange is now fully complete and operational.

Awesome! Can't wait to drive it when I move to RC for college!

Oh, and one other thing- it seems they set the lights up wrong. If the first crossover light is green, the second one is red. There are also extra cycles for the ramp lights instead of the two-phase setup of a normal DDI. No clue why they did that, and I wonder if it will change in the future.

Or maybe not.

[X99]

man i need to drive around more often

The Lacrosse/Omaha intersection upgrades are complete, and both roads are open to traffic again.

In other news, a new road is being built on the east side to replace the service road connection to Watiki, The Box, and five hotels, as well as everything else on this road. The new road is proposed to be called Hotel Way, but it's already (incorrectly) marked on Google Maps as North Degeest Drive, east of the BHSU complex and west of Wood Stock Supply. Whatever they end up calling it, I'm glad they're finally actually doing it.

Now to convince them to move the service road connection under Elk Vale...

[andy3175]

Has Business 90 through Rapid City been decommissioned? The signs for it downtown along Main and St Joseph are gone, including the signs formerly posted at US 16. The overhead sign on Interstate 190 directing to Business 90 appears to be gone as well.  Is this related to any road improvement or streetscape or mobility project?  Any other insight? Thanks in advance.

SM-S908U

[brad2971]

Has Business 90 through Rapid City been decommissioned? The signs for it downtown along Main and St Joseph are gone, including the signs formerly posted at US 16. The overhead sign on Interstate 190 directing to Business 90 appears to be gone as well.  Is this related to any road improvement or streetscape or mobility project?  Any other insight? Thanks in advance.

SM-S908U

I don't know if the I-90 business loop through Rapid City has been officially decommissioned, but I DO know that the only part of the (former?) loop that is owned by SDDOT is the part from Sturgis Rd/West Chicago St north to I-90 Exit 52. While the traffic maps (https://dot.sd.gov/transportation/highways/traffic#listItemLink_1197) show that section listed as SD Highway 231, I don't believe it is signed that way on the road. BTW, this is not unusual for SDDOT (or any other DOT) to retain business loop signage for a road it doesn't own; the Wall I-90 business loop hasn't been owned by SDDOT since I-90 was finished there, and it's amply signed both from I-90 as well as in-town.

Are you saying it's this sign that is now gone: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0855638,-103.2334781,3a,37.5y,202.57h,92.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7bwtxEmulXcd5ZGln8oqDA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu. That picture from Google Maps is from July 2022, the most recent picture.

[SD Mapman]

Has Business 90 through Rapid City been decommissioned? The signs for it downtown along Main and St Joseph are gone, including the signs formerly posted at US 16. The overhead sign on Interstate 190 directing to Business 90 appears to be gone as well.  Is this related to any road improvement or streetscape or mobility project?  Any other insight? Thanks in advance.

SM-S908U

I don't know if the I-90 business loop through Rapid City has been officially decommissioned, but I DO know that the only part of the (former?) loop that is owned by SDDOT is the part from Sturgis Rd/West Chicago St north to I-90 Exit 52. While the traffic maps (https://dot.sd.gov/transportation/highways/traffic#listItemLink_1197) show that section listed as SD Highway 231, I don't believe it is signed that way on the road. BTW, this is not unusual for SDDOT (or any other DOT) to retain business loop signage for a road it doesn't own; the Wall I-90 business loop hasn't been owned by SDDOT since I-90 was finished there, and it's amply signed both from I-90 as well as in-town.

Are you saying it's this sign that is now gone: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0855638,-103.2334781,3a,37.5y,202.57h,92.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7bwtxEmulXcd5ZGln8oqDA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu. That picture from Google Maps is from July 2022, the most recent picture.

So, SD has an interesting relationship with business routes. Most of them are city-maintained (there's a law on the books that allows counties and cities to sign any route they want if it makes sense), with only a few business loops actually state-maintained and inventoried as "I-90B" or something like that. This category includes Sturgis, Mitchell, Chamberlain, and Elk Point. Other business loops are inventoried as something else; Murdo and Presho have I-90 BL signs over unsigned (outside of street blades) SD 248 and the BL in Wall is actually technically part of SD 240. All other business routes are at least partially city-maintained (as mentioned above the Rapid BL is concurrent with SD 231 from Chicago north to Exit 52), with signage varying by city.

If the signage is disappearing, it could be because the person who was in charge of signage for the Mitchell region (SE) got promoted and is now in charge of the whole state. Over in Sioux Falls the business loops/spurs (along with 42 and 115, which technically don't exist in city limits) are systematically being removed from the BGSes despite Sioux Falls maintaining signage for the routes. If this is happening I will be rather annoyed. More than likely the consulting engineer tasked with coming up with the signage plan is just looking at the route log rather than what's been on the ground for years.

[X99]

Sheridan Lake Road is finally being upgraded to five lanes on its last three lane section between Catron Boulevard and Corral Drive, primarily to ease congestion on the left turns at both ends- one leads to Southwest Middle School, and the other leads to the south end of the bypass. This project is supposed to last until sometime in 2025, and the only current work is moving utilities outward to prep for the new lanes on the east side of the road.

In somewhat non-road construction news, Block Five's entire seven story parking garage is already finished, aside from a few finishing touches and the walls around the stair towers. The entry ramp to the garage is unpaved and ungraded (essentially just a gravel pit at the bottom of the ramp), presumably on purpose to keep people from trying to use it before it's ready. All current construction has been done with a tracked crane rather than the originally planned tower crane, and they plan to be done with that on December 5th, closing the rest of 6th Street between St Joseph and Kansas City Streets to lay the boom down.

[SD Mapman]

Sheridan Lake Road is finally being upgraded to five lanes on its last three lane section between Catron Boulevard and Corral Drive, primarily to ease congestion on the left turns at both ends- one leads to Southwest Middle School, and the other leads to the south end of the bypass. This project is supposed to last until sometime in 2025, and the only current work is moving utilities outward to prep for the new lanes on the east side of the road.

Finally! My grandma used to live in the Corral Drive apartments, and I can't tell you how annoying it was to head south from there.