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Rapid City area road construction and South Dakota's first DDI

Started by X99, September 21, 2019, 10:33:56 PM

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SD Mapman

Quote from: X99 on March 27, 2023, 11:13:33 AM
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.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton


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.
why are there only like 5 people on this forum from south dakota

SD Mapman

Quote from: X99 on April 29, 2023, 03:06:35 PM
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.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

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.

Quote from: SD Mapman on May 05, 2023, 10:47:21 PM
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.
why are there only like 5 people on this forum from south dakota

SD Mapman

Quote from: X99 on May 30, 2023, 04:48:25 PM
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.

Quote from: SD Mapman on May 05, 2023, 10:47:21 PM
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.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

SoDakInterstateEnthusiast

Quote from: X99 on May 30, 2023, 04:48:25 PM
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.)

Quote from: X99 on May 30, 2023, 04:48:25 PM
The Lacrosse interchange is now fully complete and operational.

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

Quote from: X99 on May 30, 2023, 04:48:25 PM
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.
"Please like, comment, and share on MySpace, not your space, you freak of nature"

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...
why are there only like 5 people on this forum from south dakota

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

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Andy

www.aaroads.com

brad2971

Quote from: andy3175 on July 29, 2023, 02:06:48 AM
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

Quote from: brad2971 on July 29, 2023, 07:30:54 AM
Quote from: andy3175 on July 29, 2023, 02:06:48 AM
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.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

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.
why are there only like 5 people on this forum from south dakota

SD Mapman

Quote from: X99 on November 29, 2023, 01:18:07 PM
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.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

Great Lakes Roads

In Rapid City, the Anamosa Street bridge over I-190 will be replaced this construction season.

From SDDOT: https://dot.sd.gov/anamosa-bridge-pcn065k

Project Summary:
The project consists of:
- Replacing aged structure with weight restrictions
- Replacing and improving intersections at both ends of the bridge
- Reducing light pollution in communities adjacent to Interstate 190

The purpose of this project is to replace the Anamosa Street Bridge over Interstate 190 due to aging and weight restrictions. There will be luminaires replaced along the I-190 corridor that will provide reduced light pollution for the surrounding neighborhoods. A small section of concrete paving will occur on the north end of the I-190 structure and North Street including a barrier wall and glare screen.

Project Timeline:
March 2024 - Nov. 2024

Project Contract Amount:
$10.6 Million

X99

From an rcgov news article from early January, incorrectly marked under the Sheridan Lake Road reconstruction header:

QuoteTo assist with expected traffic flow, a traffic signal will be installed at Moon Meadows Road and Highway 16 prior to Memorial Day. The current ongoing project is being done by Mainline Contracting of Rapid City and the expected completion is May 31, 2024.

This will solve a currently nonexistent, but soon to be issue regarding traffic flow in the slowly developing Moon Meadows area, which currently holds one apartment complex, a handful of duplexes, a storage facility, a ranger station, and a sign advertising a future gas station.

In other news, another new stoplight will soon be necessary at the intersection of Elk Vale Road and Mall Drive, as Rapid City (technically Box Elder given the city limit line is Elk Vale north of the interstate) is finally getting a 40,000 sqft Amazon warehouse, being built at the intersection of Mall Drive and Mall Court.

I know Block Five isn't a road, but given that it's the most interesting project in the city right now, I might as well give little updates on it as I can. The hotel floors 2 through 4 are finished on the exterior walls, windows included, and the wall framing for the fifth floor apartments is in place as well. The parking garage entrance ramp is complete at this point, but still blocked off by fences, so I'm assuming they're waiting to cut into the sidewalk until the main building is finished further.
why are there only like 5 people on this forum from south dakota



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