This thread highlights major road construction projects in or near Rapid City, with a main focus on the diverging diamond at I-90 and Lacrosse Street, and the widening of West Omaha Street.
PROJECT LINKS:
I-90 Lacrosse Street Diverging Diamond- website (http://i90lacrosseddi.com) | facebook (https://www.facebook.com/I90LaCrosseDDI)
Omaha Street Reconstruction Project- website (http://omahastreetreconstruct.com) | facebook (https://www.facebook.com/OmahaStreetReconstruct)
Original post:
So on my way to and from work on I-90 between Exits 61 and 63, I've noticed that the Mall Drive extension has started construction, except for the portion where it ties into the service road routing. And yet the signs on Americas Way still all show a Seger Drive extension instead, with one sign at the end showing what they're actually doing.
Also, the first roadway forming the Shepherd Hills development (shown in plans as an extension of Valley Drive) seems to have stopped after finishing the curbs for a few hundred yards, and the Anamosa extension looks like it's still just graded dirt (at least, that's how it looks from the last turnoff to the Menards parking lot).
Are there any other road projects in the Rapid City area planned anytime soon (namely, extending Cheyenne Boulevard to Radar Hill Road and rebuilding Highway 1416 as a three FIVE lane undivided highway), and what is the timetable on Anamosa Street and Valley Drive?
After a little more searching, I found something else: South Dakota's first Diverging Diamond Interchange will be at Lacrosse Street in Rapid City, but I can't seem to find a timetable for construction, or when it is supposed to start.
EDIT: Construction is planned to start in 2020, though no specific month is given.
UPDATE: Construction has stopped being delayed, and preparations are underway for construction to start in February 2021.
There are no DDIs here in Madison (although one was built at Exit 177 on Interstate 39/90 in Janesville). There may be two DDIs constructed on Stoughton Rd. (US 51) in the future. The present-day diamond interchanges for US 12/18 at 51, and STH-30 at US 51 have been proposed to be converted to DDIs. Construction of such is likely a long way off (completion of the FEIS for the US 51 Stoughton Rd. corridor study is not expected until the fall of 2022, assuming they don't push the date back again.)
Dang, I never realized how much Rapid City likes SPUIs. If more areas get DDIs, there will be less confused tourists here, where DDIs are everywhere.
Quote from: ozarkman417 on September 23, 2019, 10:09:16 PM
Dang, I never realized how much Rapid City likes SPUIs.
At least one of those SPUIs is justified: Exit 60. Here's what it looked like before it was an SPUI:
(https://i.imgur.com/JccgVRs.png)
The north-south road bridging over I-90 on the right is Dyess Avenue, which now dead-ends at the interstate on both sides.
Quote from: X99 on September 21, 2019, 10:33:56 PM
So on my way to and from work on I-90 between Exits 61 and 63, I've noticed that the Mall Drive extension has started construction, except for the portion where it ties into the service road routing. And yet the signs on Americas Way still all show a Seger Drive extension instead, with one sign at the end showing what they're actually doing.
Also, the first roadway forming the Shepherd Hills development (shown in plans as an extension of Valley Drive) seems to have stopped after finishing the curbs for a few hundred yards, and the Anamosa extension looks like it's still just graded dirt (at least, that's how it looks from the last turnoff to the Menards parking lot).
Are there any other road projects in the Rapid City area planned anytime soon (namely, extending Cheyenne Boulevard to Radar Hill Road and rebuilding Highway 1416 as a three FIVE lane undivided highway), and what is the timetable on Anamosa Street and Valley Drive?
DDIs are also planned at 41st Street/I-29 in Sioux Falls, and at SD 11/I-90 in Brandon, but the one in Rapid City should open first.
As far as Rapid City SDDOT projects, this is taken from the 2020-2023 STIP, minus the LaCrosse Street interchange and the Box Elder project you mentioned, and a ton of small type of routine projects:
These are in 2020.
Location:
Sheridan Lake Road from Jct. of US 385 to Alberta Road.
Type of improvement:
Grading, Base Course, C&G, AC Surfacing.
Location:
SD 44 (Omaha St) - Fm Mt. View Rd to the start of the divided lanes Near 12th St.; SD 231 (W Chicago/W Omaha) - Fm St to Mt View Rd (SD 44) in Rapid City.
Type of improvement:
Urban Grading, Storm Sewer, Curb & Gutter, Sidewalk, Traffic Signals, PCC Surfacing, Lighting; Str Repair & Widening Over Rapid Creek.
Location:
SD 445 - Deadwood Ave and Krebs Drive.
Type of improvement:
Install Left Turn Lane.
And, preliminary engineering at US 16/Catron Blvd. If I remember correctly, they are considering many at-grade and grade-separated options, including a DDI. Also under consideration is an Echelon interchange and a Continuous Flow Intersection for US 16/Catron, which are both that we don't even have in our region. The only Continuous Flows that I know of are in Salt Lake City. No idea where Echelon interchanges are.
There are also various smaller projects like ADA ramp upgrades, pavement restorations, etc.
That's state projects. I tried to find information on the city's website for Rapid City and wasn't successful, although I didn't spend a lot of time digging.
Quote from: M86 on October 02, 2019, 12:39:14 AM
DDIs are also planned at... SD 11/I-90 in Brandon
I have never heard of the one proposed in Brandon until now. And as of 2018 Street View, there isn't even a stoplight at that interchange.
Quote from: M86 on October 02, 2019, 12:39:14 AM
...preliminary engineering at US 16/Catron Blvd. If I remember correctly, they are considering many at-grade and grade-separated options, including a DDI. Also under consideration is an Echelon interchange and a Continuous Flow Intersection for US 16/Catron, which are both that we don't even have in our region. The only Continuous Flows that I know of are in Salt Lake City. No idea where Echelon interchanges are.
I once mentioned in a Fictional thread that it would be nice to have a grade-separated interchange at US 16 and Catron, though in my mind it was a Haines-style SPUI due to all of the businesses popping up near that intersection. (This was in Fictional because it was coupled with a proposal to tunnel I-190 under downtown to extend the interstate designation to the bypass intersection.) And after looking up what an Echelon interchange is, I don't think it would fit in the space available unless the entire intersection was somehow shifted north.
Quote from: X99 on October 02, 2019, 12:38:20 PM
Quote from: M86 on October 02, 2019, 12:39:14 AM
DDIs are also planned at... SD 11/I-90 in Brandon
I have never heard of the one proposed in Brandon until now. And as of 2018 Street View, there isn't even a stoplight at that interchange.
If you're interested, take a look at
this .pdf (https://dot.sd.gov/media/documents/rpt_091318_I90_Exit406_IMJR_v4_clean.pdf) for more information.
Quote from: ozarkman417 on September 23, 2019, 10:09:16 PM
Dang, I never realized how much Rapid City likes SPUIs. If more areas get DDIs, there will be less confused tourists here, where DDIs are everywhere.
SDDOT loves SPUIs. Look at I-29 through north Sioux Falls. That area was rebuilt in the early 2000s. There's 3 of them at Benson Road, Madison Street, and 12th Street.
Quote from: M86 on October 04, 2019, 03:58:04 AM
Quote from: ozarkman417 on September 23, 2019, 10:09:16 PM
Dang, I never realized how much Rapid City likes SPUIs. If more areas get DDIs, there will be less confused tourists here, where DDIs are everywhere.
SDDOT loves SPUIs. Look at I-29 through north Sioux Falls. That area was rebuilt in the early 2000s. There's 3 of them at Benson Road, Madison Street, and 12th Street.
South Dakota loves SPUIs as much as Missouri loves DDIs.
Quote from: X99 on October 02, 2019, 12:38:20 PM
I have never heard of the one proposed in Brandon until now. And as of 2018 Street View, there isn't even a stoplight at that interchange.
Someone posted the study earlier, but Street View imagery depicts a non-busy area. It isn't. There is a heavy left-turn movement onto I-90 westbound and a heavy right turn from I-90 southbound onto SD 11/Splitrock Blvd during peak hours. Growth from Sioux Falls from the west will eventually reach Brandon and they're just planning it out. What's there is clogged up.
Quote from: X99 on October 02, 2019, 12:38:20 PM
I once mentioned in a Fictional thread that it would be nice to have a grade-separated interchange at US 16 and Catron, though in my mind it was a Haines-style SPUI due to all of the businesses popping up near that intersection. (This was in Fictional because it was coupled with a proposal to tunnel I-190 under downtown to extend the interstate designation to the bypass intersection.) And after looking up what an Echelon interchange is, I don't think it would fit in the space available unless the entire intersection was somehow shifted north.
Here is a link to the final report of the study of that intersection:
US 16/US 16B Intersection Study Final Report (http://[url=https://dot.sd.gov/media/documents/US16_16B_Intersection_Study_Final_Report_12232016.pdf)
From the report, a Continuous Flow or SPUI will likely be constructed here. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they put in a Continuous Flow as sort of a "guinea pig project". The construction costs are significantly cheaper, even cheaper than an at-grade intersection. I feel like they did this with a SPUI on I-229 at 10th Street in Sioux Falls back in the late '90s (I think). I love reading studies and reports from the SDDOT website, and Continous Flows are just now showing up on the radar of engineering companies.
That being said, I hope they don't do that. This is an intersection that has significant tourist traffic and driver unfamiliarity would be very high.
Quote from: M86 on October 05, 2019, 03:51:07 AM
Quote from: X99 on October 02, 2019, 12:38:20 PM
I have never heard of the one proposed in Brandon until now. And as of 2018 Street View, there isn't even a stoplight at that interchange.
Someone posted the study earlier, but Street View imagery depicts a non-busy area. It isn't. There is a heavy left-turn movement onto I-90 westbound and a heavy right turn from I-90 southbound onto SD 11/Splitrock Blvd during peak hours. Growth from Sioux Falls from the west will eventually reach Brandon and they're just planning it out. What's there is clogged up.
Quote from: X99 on October 02, 2019, 12:38:20 PM
I once mentioned in a Fictional thread that it would be nice to have a grade-separated interchange at US 16 and Catron, though in my mind it was a Haines-style SPUI due to all of the businesses popping up near that intersection. (This was in Fictional because it was coupled with a proposal to tunnel I-190 under downtown to extend the interstate designation to the bypass intersection.) And after looking up what an Echelon interchange is, I don't think it would fit in the space available unless the entire intersection was somehow shifted north.
Here is a link to the final report of the study of that intersection:
US 16/US 16B Intersection Study Final Report (http://[url=https://dot.sd.gov/media/documents/US16_16B_Intersection_Study_Final_Report_12232016.pdf)
From the report, a Continuous Flow or SPUI will likely be constructed here. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they put in a Continuous Flow as sort of a "guinea pig project". The construction costs are significantly cheaper, even cheaper than an at-grade intersection. I feel like they did this with a SPUI on I-229 at 10th Street in Sioux Falls back in the late '90s (I think). I love reading studies and reports from the SDDOT website, and Continous Flows are just now showing up on the radar of engineering companies.
That being said, I hope they don't do that. This is an intersection that has significant tourist traffic and driver unfamiliarity would be very high.
I noticed the options that included a flyover ramp for the westbound-to-southbound movement. In my opinion, if any intersection in Rapid City needs a westbound-to-southbound flyover, it's East North Street and Cambell Street.
I found ANOTHER proposed DDI for South Dakota: a possible option for I-90 exit 63's rebuild into a full interchange. At this point, from what I can see, there are three options, all of which remove the old ramps (one of which has followed that alignment since before the Interstate system): Diamond on Westgate, Diamond on 1416, and DDI on 1416. I hope they choose one of the 1416 options, as their "possible future connection to Bennett Road" could actually be a possible future business corridor all the way to Haines Avenue. SD 200 anyone?
Also, if anyone can find something on the planned reconstruction of the Radar Hill Road/Highway 1416 intersection, could they please post it here?
Quote from: X99 on October 06, 2019, 12:18:26 AM
I found ANOTHER proposed DDI for South Dakota: a possible option for I-90 exit 63's rebuild into a full interchange. At this point, from what I can see, there are three options, all of which remove the old ramps (one of which has followed that alignment since before the Interstate system): Diamond on Westgate, Diamond on 1416, and DDI on 1416. I hope they choose one of the 1416 options, as their "possible future connection to Bennett Road" could actually be a possible future business corridor all the way to Haines Avenue. SD 200 anyone?
Also, if anyone can find something on the planned reconstruction of the Radar Hill Road/Highway 1416 intersection, could they please post it here?
You must have found the I-90 Exit 61-67 Corridor Study (https://dot.sd.gov/media/documents/I-90Exit61to67_December%202017_MASTERFINAL.pdf) on the DOT's website. Outside of that, I have nothing, unfortunately.
That 1416 alignment in Box Elder always looked interesting. That has to be due to Ellsworth Air Force Base?
Quote from: M86 on October 09, 2019, 12:34:54 AM
Quote from: X99 on October 06, 2019, 12:18:26 AM
I found ANOTHER proposed DDI for South Dakota: a possible option for I-90 exit 63's rebuild into a full interchange. At this point, from what I can see, there are three options, all of which remove the old ramps (one of which has followed that alignment since before the Interstate system): Diamond on Westgate, Diamond on 1416, and DDI on 1416. I hope they choose one of the 1416 options, as their "possible future connection to Bennett Road" could actually be a possible future business corridor all the way to Haines Avenue. SD 200 anyone?
Also, if anyone can find something on the planned reconstruction of the Radar Hill Road/Highway 1416 intersection, could they please post it here?
You must have found the I-90 Exit 61-67 Corridor Study (https://dot.sd.gov/media/documents/I-90Exit61to67_December%202017_MASTERFINAL.pdf) on the DOT's website. Outside of that, I have nothing, unfortunately.
That 1416 alignment in Box Elder always looked interesting. That has to be due to Ellsworth Air Force Base?
1416 was, as it is named now, the old routing of US 14 and US 16 before the Interstates existed. (Source: Historic Aerials. You have to use the topo overlays, since the aerials only go back to 1971.) I've been told the wide median (which I've also seen before in Missouri) was meant for semis with long trailers to turn and not stick out into the driving lanes of the expressway. The only roadway that changed so far due to the base is Exit 66 on I-90, which was removed because planes could have crashed into it.
And yes, I found the 61 to 67 study, while Google searching "radar hill road highway 1416." I hope the RHR/1416 intersection becomes a roundabout, and I'm not alone on that. I also hope that Exit 63's replacement stays on 1416, as their label for a future westward connection could turn into a four-lane business corridor across the north side of Rapid City. It also doesn't affect anything but farmland, while the other options go through houses, an abanoned casino, and the 4U. (It's currently a Philips 66 Yesway gas station, but I've lived here for ten years, so it will always be the 4U to me.)
Over on the Fictional forum, I proposed an SD 200 that would extend west from the end of 1416, as either a full freeway extension of I-90, a freeway/expressway bypass of Rapid City, or an arterial, and I'm kinda surprised that the arterial option (Option 3 on this map (https://drive.google.com/open?id=159rK7c2ZuuDssRNOTtMd-Tn3PVF2jWl1&usp=sharing)) is what they are actually considering, except for the fact that I moved the roadway north to use the existing bridge plus new structure, and decommissioned the southbound lanes. Their plans don't take into account the plans by the city of Box Elder to rebuild 1416 as a single roadway at about the same time as the interchange is getting rebuilt.
Oh yeah, that's another thing: Box Elder is planning to rebuild the four-lane-divided Highway 1416 as a THREE LANE road. The four lane is packed at rush, and they want it smaller. My proposal- make it a five, center turn lane, off the south side of the current westbound lanes. There's house space on the south side if you add in a gravel service road to connect them all.
im just rambling at this point ill stop talking now
Quote from: X99 on October 09, 2019, 11:26:00 PM
Oh yeah, that's another thing: Box Elder is planning to rebuild the four-lane-divided Highway 1416 as a THREE LANE road. The four lane is packed at rush, and they want it smaller. My proposal- make it a five, center turn lane, off the south side of the current westbound lanes. There's house space on the south side if you add in a gravel service road to connect them all.
im just rambling at this point ill stop talking now
It's not the city of Box Elder, it's SDDOT. They have jurisdiction over this road.
And I've seen similar scenes in eastern SD. It's all about traffic counts.
But what's with this Box Elder city stuff? They've been in the media lately.
Quote from: M86 on October 10, 2019, 03:03:01 AM
Quote from: X99 on October 09, 2019, 11:26:00 PM
Oh yeah, that's another thing: Box Elder is planning to rebuild the four-lane-divided Highway 1416 as a THREE LANE road. The four lane is packed at rush, and they want it smaller. My proposal- make it a five, center turn lane, off the south side of the current westbound lanes. There's house space on the south side if you add in a gravel service road to connect them all.
im just rambling at this point ill stop talking now
It's not the city of Box Elder, it's SDDOT. They have jurisdiction over this road.
And I've seen similar scenes in eastern SD. It's all about traffic counts.
But what's with this Box Elder city stuff? They've been in the media lately.
Interesting. The North Dakota DOT and some cities in North Dakota are obsessed with turning 4 lane roads into 3 lanes too. Bismarck, Mandan, and Dickinson either have done it or have it planned.
Quote from: WestDakota on October 11, 2019, 10:53:06 PM
Interesting. The North Dakota DOT and some cities in North Dakota are obsessed with turning 4 lane roads into 3 lanes too. Bismarck, Mandan, and Dickinson either have done it or have it planned.
It's been happening in SD. And it's needed. They built overkill (there's no reason why Randomville with a population of 300 needs a 4-lane state or US highway through town. They're focused on safety now.
Quote from: M86 on October 14, 2019, 03:59:37 AM
Quote from: WestDakota on October 11, 2019, 10:53:06 PM
Interesting. The North Dakota DOT and some cities in North Dakota are obsessed with turning 4 lane roads into 3 lanes too. Bismarck, Mandan, and Dickinson either have done it or have it planned.
It's been happening in SD. And it's needed. They built overkill (there's no reason why Randomville with a population of 300 needs a 4-lane state or US highway through town. They're focused on safety now.
I don't know if I can agree with you on that one. 1416 is pretty packed during rush hour and when school lets out, and Box Elder has a population of almost 10,000. Five-lane Liberty Boulevard was built in the early 2000s, with no connection to four-lane divided 1416. From what I've been able to find, 1416 is planned to connect to the south end of Liberty Boulevard with more than two lanes in the future. Plans show a three lane road, but I hope they make it a four-lane undivided or a five-lane road.
I guess my biggest problem here is that I don't know where I can present my ideas to the state for consideration. Their plan for the Exit 63 replacement being nearly identical to my 1416 extension proposal was pure coincidence.
Quote from: X99 on October 14, 2019, 01:59:55 PM
I don't know if I can agree with you on that one. 1416 is pretty packed during rush hour and when school lets out, and Box Elder has a population of almost 10,000. Five-lane Liberty Boulevard was built in the early 2000s, with no connection to four-lane divided 1416. From what I've been able to find, 1416 is planned to connect to the south end of Liberty Boulevard with more than two lanes in the future. Plans show a three lane road, but I hope they make it a four-lane undivided or a five-lane road.
I guess my biggest problem here is that I don't know where I can present my ideas to the state for consideration. Their plan for the Exit 63 replacement being nearly identical to my 1416 extension proposal was pure coincidence.
So, SDDOT completely redid their website. And I think they removed some studies/reports, but I could be wrong.
I'm thinking of some of the East River stuff that has happened within the past few years. Generally, a three-lane road with a center turn lane is safer than a four-lane undivided/divided road, if the traffic counts are there. And they usually are.
I'd contact Steve Gramm, he's the guy behind most studies:
https://dot.sd.gov/contact?id=794.
Found this on the video for the Lacrosse DDI linked on the SDDOT website.
(https://i.imgur.com/yO7wu4G.png)
Best rendering of it I've seen yet.
I have found a total of five planned DDIs for the state of South Dakota:
I-90 exit 59 at Lacrosse Street (Rapid City)
I-90 exit 63 at CR 1416/Old US 14/16 (Box Elder)
I-90 exit 406 at Splitrock Boulevard (Brandon)
I-29 exit 77 at 41st Street (Sioux Falls)
Mount Rushmore Road (US 16) at Catron Boulevard (US 16 Bypass) (Rapid City)
The first and fourth options are listed as future construction projects. The second and third options are still in the planning phase, and the last option was dropped in favor of an SPUI or partial CFI. The signage now labels the left turn lanes as a left exit, which has always been a little odd in my opinion considering it's not an exit ramp, or even separated from the main lanes by anything other than a painted line.
I saw a few construction vehicles on I-90 through Rapid City a few days ago. From what I could see heading eastbound, it looked like they were replacing exit signage (one of the signs for Exit 60 showing the way to the School of Mines and the Fairgrounds is now blue instead of green if I remember correctly). However, when I passed the construction crew themselves, they were sitting right in front of the westbound offramp for Lacrosse Street. I couldn't tell if they were just replacing/upgrading the exit sign, or looking at grading for the new longer ramps for the DDI. I'll try to drive past there again soon to check.
Update: Looks like they were just replacing the sign, along with all the other signs on both directions on I-90 through Rapid City. There's a nice new "HOSPITAL" sign for the Haines exit that in my opinion should have gone on the 60 mph I-190 instead of the 35 mph Haines Avenue, despite the hospital being on Haines/5th Street. They could have added two more hospital signs on existing sign gantries on I-190 and Omaha to get back to 5th Street.
Quote from: X99 on October 17, 2019, 07:55:05 PM
Found this on the video for the Lacrosse DDI linked on the SDDOT website.
(https://i.imgur.com/yO7wu4G.png)
Best rendering of it I've seen yet.
Judging from this picture, the owners of the Common Cents on the southside of the exit, and the Mobil station on the northside of the exit are going to get a few pretty pennies out of SDDOT for loss of safe northbound access. Accessing both stations in the northbound lanes is going to be quite dangerous if that design goes through.
Quote from: brad2971 on November 09, 2019, 06:49:52 PM
Quote from: X99 on October 17, 2019, 07:55:05 PM
Found this on the video for the Lacrosse DDI linked on the SDDOT website.
(https://i.imgur.com/yO7wu4G.png)
Best rendering of it I've seen yet.
Judging from this picture, the owners of the Common Cents on the southside of the exit, and the Mobil station on the northside of the exit are going to get a few pretty pennies out of SDDOT for loss of safe northbound access. Accessing both stations in the northbound lanes is going to be quite dangerous if that design goes through.
First off, this design
is going through. Construction starts next year. Second, there's a center turn lane to both of those. All that the northbound traffic has to do to get to the Common Cents is wait for the southbound light to go red with no one turning right off the ramp. Same for the Mobil- you just have to wait for the light at Disk Drive to get a clear path across the southbound lanes.
I realize now that I never posted my other picture of the interchange diagram on this thread, so here it is.
(https://i.imgur.com/GKizHzD.png)
As this shows, both of the aforementioned entrances are being moved further from the ramp terminals for ease of access. I don't know how they plan on doing that with the entrance to the Mobil though, since the existing entrance already has a mildly steep upward slope and the proposed new entrance location has even more of a height difference.
The planned pedestrian overpass over Alaskan Way in Seattle reminded me of this plan that apparently just came back up in Rapid City: a planned pedestrian overpass over Omaha Street, lining up with 6th Street on the south side and a large walkway to the Civic Center on the north side. Currently, it's a split intersection: traffic from 6th can only turn onto Omaha eastbound, and Omaha eastbound can turn onto 6th, with the westbound lanes separated by a decorative median. There is currently a crosswalk there, controlled by a full red-yellow-green stoplight on both sides. (Why does a crosswalk need a full signal again?)
(https://i.imgur.com/sPdw3vM.png)
This is the current plan, which includes lowering Omaha Street below grade to provide better access on the walkway while maintaining a 16 foot clearance. In my opinion, this should be reversed, with Omaha Street overpassing the walkway, so that if Rapid Creek floods again, the city's only six-lane arterial doesn't end up underwater.
I can't find anything official online, but an automated call just came in saying that the I-90 service road would be closed between Bennett Road and Gisi Road (which is literally just a private driveway that for some reason is marked on Google Maps) between January 21st and February 19th. No reason is given, and Bennett Road will remain open. Because of this, I can't figure out if they're redoing something along that road (like the bridge over Box Elder Creek) or building the eastern tie-in for the Mall Drive extension.
Also, I still can't find anything on the construction start date for the Lacrosse DDI, the reconstruction of the Radar Hill/1416 intersection, or the reconstruction of Radar Hill Road itself.
Edit: I did find a small alert concerning the service road closure on boxelder.us (http://boxelder.us), Box Elder's city website, but it just says the same thing as the phone call did.
This was on the local news last night.
https://www.kotatv.com/content/news/Plans-for-a-self-contained-community-in-Box-Elder-567809431.html
(https://i.imgur.com/sbiIRGL.png)
I took this screenshot directly from the news clip. I couldn't find anything about the company online other than the news story, but it looks like they will try to extend Sunnydale Road (which is gravel), Cheyenne Boulevard, West Gate Road and Fox Trail across the gap between Exits 61 and 63 south of the freeway. This plan also shows Cheyenne Boulevard connecting directly to existing 228th Street rather than moving further north to connect to Radar Hills Drive, which imo is a much better idea. (Radar Hills is dirt, 228th is paved with a left turn lane from Radar Hill.)
Not too keen on the Fox Trail extension idea though. For one thing, that's the road I currently use to get out of my neighborhood, and adding a fourth direction to the intersection is just going to make it more congested, especially if Fox and Cheyenne are finished before Westgate. (Additional reason: those horses did nothing wrong to lose their little pasture to make way for this road!)
Quote from: X99 on January 20, 2020, 05:42:39 PM
I can't find anything official online, but an automated call just came in saying that the I-90 service road would be closed between Bennett Road and Gisi Road (which is literally just a private driveway that for some reason is marked on Google Maps) between January 21st and February 19th. No reason is given, and Bennett Road will remain open. Because of this, I can't figure out if they're redoing something along that road (like the bridge over Box Elder Creek) or building the eastern tie-in for the Mall Drive extension.
Also, I still can't find anything on the construction start date for the Lacrosse DDI, the reconstruction of the Radar Hill/1416 intersection, or the reconstruction of Radar Hill Road itself.
Edit: I did find a small alert concerning the service road closure on boxelder.us (http://boxelder.us), Box Elder's city website, but it just says the same thing as the phone call did.
Update: the closure has been extended to March 3rd, and now also includes Bennett Road, the former detour. It seems the original closure was to fix/upgrade water pipes along the north side of the service road, but I see no reason for both roads to be closed at the same time unless the service road is being realigned to meet the Mall Drive extension.
Construction has begun on an extension of Sunnydale Road in Box Elder as part of Alpha Omega, but not Cheyenne Boulevard. Farther west, Anamosa is being built eastward to Valley Drive, also under construction. "North Valley Drive" signage is in place at the East North Street and Creek Drive intersections, but the road is still closed to traffic.
Even farther west, Omaha Street is down to two lanes with a left turn lane where needed, from 12th Street to Cross Street. This project is expected to widen Omaha Street from five lanes to six, but it is estimated to take at least two years to complete.
Reconstruction on the Radar Hill Road/Highway 1416 intersection has now been pushed back to 2023.
I found the official website for the Omaha Street reconstruction (https://omahastreetreconstruct.com/), and it states that the project will wrap up sometime in 2022. It also has a link to a story map (https://fecinc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=338fb999076c45bfaae0153d289d774d) that shows more detail on the planned final design of the roadway. Not too keen on the raised median, especially in front of some of the business entrances, but the most interesting thing I see is a planned 3+2 asymmetrical roadway between Mountain View Road and Deadwood Avenue.
I'm still not seeing anything on a start date for the Lacrosse DDI, and at this point I'm assuming it will be delayed by a year or two due to the ongoing Omaha Street Project, and in turn, all other planned DDIs in South Dakota will be delayed as well.
Quote from: X99 on August 26, 2020, 01:09:55 PM
I found the official website for the Omaha Street reconstruction (https://omahastreetreconstruct.com/), and it states that the project will wrap up sometime in 2022. It also has a link to a story map (https://fecinc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=338fb999076c45bfaae0153d289d774d) that shows more detail on the planned final design of the roadway. Not too keen on the raised median, especially in front of some of the business entrances, but the most interesting thing I see is a planned 3+2 asymmetrical roadway between Mountain View Road and Deadwood Avenue.
Motorists will get used to the raised median. It improves safety immensely. I'm a huge fan of them. Just make your U-turns at the signals. I wish I was more familiar with Rapid City, because you're the only other road geek from South Dakota on here.
I'm waiting for the adaptive traffic signal system they're putting in in Aberdeen along US Highway 12/6th Ave. It's scheduled for 2020, so only a few more months, hopefully.
Driving down Omaha last week, I noticed that the Phase 4A construction on the west side of Deadwood Avenue seems to have already began, despite the rest of the project still being in Phase 1. I can't tell if it's because they finally realized that they never added the left turn lane at Krebs that was originally scheduled for 2019, or if they're just trying to get more done at once.
Quote from: M86 on August 30, 2020, 02:25:56 AM
Motorists will get used to the raised median. It improves safety immensely. I'm a huge fan of them. Just make your U-turns at the signals. I wish I was more familiar with Rapid City, because you're the only other road geek from South Dakota on here.
Don't forget about SoDakInterstateEnthusiast.
Quote from: M86 on August 30, 2020, 02:25:56 AM
I'm waiting for the adaptive traffic signal system they're putting in in Aberdeen along US Highway 12/6th Ave. It's scheduled for 2020, so only a few more months, hopefully.
In my eyes, "scheduled for 2020" immediately translates to "delayed to halfway through 2021." Either way, adaptive traffic signals should help no matter where in the state you put them, unless we're talking about the one at SD 44 and Mickelson Drive that seems to wait for traffic on 44 to show up before turning red and allowing Mickelson traffic through.
Only one update today: earlier on my lunch break, I noticed that earthwork has begun to complete Cheyenne Boulevard between its current end at Iditarod Drive and its future endpoint at Radar Hill Road, and it looks like they're taking out at least half of the hillside to flatten the grade of the roadway. It's the only work I've seen done for Cheyenne (which still also lacks a protected left turn onto Elk Vale Road that it seems it should have by now), so it will be interesting to see how that progresses, despite the fact that I no longer live off of Radar Hill Road.
Quote from: M86 on August 30, 2020, 02:25:56 AM
I'm waiting for the adaptive traffic signal system they're putting in in Aberdeen along US Highway 12/6th Ave. It's scheduled for 2020, so only a few more months, hopefully.
YES.
Phases 1, 1A, and 2A of the Omaha Street project are complete, and Phase 2 is active. It seems that a stoplight is being added at Cross Street as well. Phase 4A on the west side of Deadwood Avenue is also still in progress.
In other news, the Shepherd Hills development is making progress, with Anamosa Street completed to Philadelphia Street, and Philadelphia Street extended to a point almost directly south of the Eglin/Creek intersection. The first residences in the new neighborhood are already under construction as well, as can be seen from the WDT parking lot. The East Mall Drive extension is completed to a point just east of Americas Way, and is open to a new back entrance to the Flying J truck stop. In Box Elder, Villa Drive is being extended just south of Liberty Boulevard to make space for new businesses, the first of which is a strip mall already under construction. Briggs Street is also being extended south of its current endpoint at Villa Drive to a new endpoint at Liberty Boulevard.
Man, I should really check the county GIS map more often.
The first half of the Omaha Street reconstruction, from 12th Street to just west of Cross Street, is complete and all six lanes are open to traffic. The stoplight at Cross Street is active as well. Construction on the rest of the project is reported to be delayed until spring.
In the Shepherd Hills development, Anamosa and Philadelphia Streets are open, with the first row of houses on Philadelphia Street completed and for sale. Some of them seem to have already been sold as well, as there were cars parked in a few of the driveways when I drove past. The south end of the new Philadelphia Street segment does not yet connect to the east-west portion of Philadelphia, but it does connect to Creek Drive. A mobile home (or tiny home?) park is being built off the south side of Philadelphia, extending to the property line of the trailer park west of Mickelson Drive. There seems to be no construction beginning on the Anamosa-Mickelson connection anytime soon, but it could be possible to cut across to Mickelson from the new trailer park once its roadways are complete. Back up near the houses, a four or five story apartment building is under construction, and from what I could tell, it seems like it would have a basement parking garage when finished.
I-90 Exit 63 (https://www.i90exit63.com/) had virtual public meetings a couple weeks ago to let the public see what options were available for the interchange rebuild there. The three options were a diamond on West Gate Road, a diamond on 1416 with a westward extension, and a DDI on 1416 with a westward extension. Personally I prefer the DDI, but whatever the outcome, I probably won't be here to see it completed.
The Lacrosse Street DDI project finally has a set start date sometime next month. Temporary traffic lights were set up at the intersection of Haines Avenue and Mall Drive last week to prepare for detours around Maple Avenue and Lacrosse Street during the project. The project is expected to be complete by June 2023.
Quote from: X99 on August 31, 2020, 05:23:02 PM
Quote from: M86 on August 30, 2020, 02:25:56 AM
Motorists will get used to the raised median. It improves safety immensely. I'm a huge fan of them. Just make your U-turns at the signals. I wish I was more familiar with Rapid City, because you're the only other road geek from South Dakota on here.
Don't forget about SoDakInterstateEnthusiast.
And me, though I have been dormant for a very long time (no SD topics came up enough).
Quote from: X99 on January 26, 2021, 11:24:03 AM
The first half of the Omaha Street reconstruction, from 12th Street to just west of Cross Street, is complete and all six lanes are open to traffic. The stoplight at Cross Street is active as well. Construction on the rest of the project is reported to be delayed until spring.
Good to hear Omaha's finally progressing somewhere; it's going to be weird to have a stoplight at Cross.
Quote from: X99 on January 26, 2021, 11:24:03 AM
I-90 Exit 63 (https://www.i90exit63.com/) had virtual public meetings a couple weeks ago to let the public see what options were available for the interchange rebuild there. The three options were a diamond on West Gate Road, a diamond on 1416 with a westward extension, and a DDI on 1416 with a westward extension. Personally I prefer the DDI, but whatever the outcome, I probably won't be here to see it completed.
My bet is they'll go with the diamond on West Gate; it's the cheapest option and if I know anything about the state government they go with the cheapest.
Quote from: M86 on August 30, 2020, 02:25:56 AM
Quote from: X99 on August 26, 2020, 01:09:55 PM
I found the official website for the Omaha Street reconstruction (https://omahastreetreconstruct.com/), and it states that the project will wrap up sometime in 2022. It also has a link to a story map (https://fecinc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=338fb999076c45bfaae0153d289d774d) that shows more detail on the planned final design of the roadway. Not too keen on the raised median, especially in front of some of the business entrances, but the most interesting thing I see is a planned 3+2 asymmetrical roadway between Mountain View Road and Deadwood Avenue.
Motorists will get used to the raised median. It improves safety immensely. I'm a huge fan of them. Just make your U-turns at the signals. I wish I was more familiar with Rapid City, because you're the only other road geek from South Dakota on here.
There's been a raised median on Omaha from around East Blvd to I-190 for a while now and people have adjusted.
From the two major project Facebook pages:
The Omaha Street project will resume March 1st to widen the segment between Cross Street and Mountain View Road to three lanes in each direction, and the segment between Mountain View Road and Deadwood Avenue to a 3+2 configuration with a raised median.
For the Lacrosse DDI project, the eastbound Haines Avenue onramp to I-90 is closed for the expansion of the eastbound I-90 bridge over Maple Avenue to three lanes. The bridge in question was rebuilt about a year and a half ago, so I'm a little confused as to why they wouldn't have widened it then, but it's possible the interchange project wasn't approved at that point. A temporary stoplight has been installed at the intersection of Haines Avenue and Mall Drive, the marked detour route for the closed ramp.
In other news, the Mall Drive extension is open from Elk Vale Road to a point just past Americas Way, although it seems the road won't see much use for quite a while.
I'm curious, I've heard stuff about I-90 through Rapid City being widened to 3 in each direction to Sturgis (maybe) or something like that...
Is that happening? I think that would be pretty cool.
Quote from: SoDakInterstateEnthusiast on February 23, 2021, 06:20:22 PM
I'm curious, I've heard stuff about I-90 through Rapid City being widened to 3 in each direction to Sturgis (maybe) or something like that...
Is that happening? I think that would be pretty cool.
I've heard of that before as well, but I don't think it's gonna happen anytime soon. The only sections of I-90 with written plans for six lanes near Rapid City are between Haines and Lacrosse (as continuous entrance/exit ramps), and between Elk Vale and old highway 1416 to support the full interchange rebuild planned for Exit 63.
Quote from: X99 on February 23, 2021, 06:26:27 PM
Quote from: SoDakInterstateEnthusiast on February 23, 2021, 06:20:22 PM
I'm curious, I've heard stuff about I-90 through Rapid City being widened to 3 in each direction to Sturgis (maybe) or something like that...
Is that happening? I think that would be pretty cool.
I've heard of that before as well, but I don't think it's gonna happen anytime soon. The only sections of I-90 with written plans for six lanes near Rapid City are between Haines and Lacrosse (as continuous entrance/exit ramps), and between Elk Vale and old highway 1416 to support the full interchange rebuild planned for Exit 63.
When they did the reconstruction from Exit 40 to Exit 46; the road was designed so that upgrading to 3 lanes each way would require minimal effort. From what I've heard, that's in the works, but it's not going to happen for a VERY long time.
Quote from: X99 on February 23, 2021, 10:54:33 AM
The bridge in question was rebuilt about a year and a half ago, so I'm a little confused as to why they wouldn't have widened it then, but it's possible the interchange project wasn't approved at that point.
I remember that surfacing project, and if I remember rightly it was only resurfacing, not structure improvements. They probably just didn't allocate the money for that that time around.
Omaha Street through the construction zone is down to one lane in each direction through the finished six lane portion, presumably so they can landscape the median and brush up on the road markings. Traffic is also one lane each way through the Mountain View and Deadwood intersections to prepare for the rebuilds of both, with temporary traffic lights in place.
As of now, the main detour for Omaha Street is West Main Street, which is ALSO down to one lane westbound due to construction at the 11th Street intersection. However, they seem to be working on the water pipes underneath a portion of the intersection rather than a roadway reconfiguration, so I assume this construction is related to a water main issue or something similar.
I-90 is still two open lanes of traffic in each direction, but the lanes are shifted to the inside to prepare for the rebuilding of the Maple Avenue overpasses. From what I've been able to gather, the plans call for a temporary westbound offramp to be built and used while the main ramp is rebuilt, but I personally can't see this temporary ramp going anywhere other than the hotel parking lot, since everything between the current ramps and the northern edge of the ROW is being re-graded.
I will also add the links to the Facebook pages for both major projects, as well as each project's own site, to the first post in this thread.
^^^ thank you for the update. I agree about the hotel parking lot, so I would like to see a map showing how that ramp would work.
SM-G975U
Couldn't they just connect it to the east end of Disk Drive, around the east side of the Holiday Inn Express? That seems the most logical to me.
So it turns out I was completely wrong about the temporary Exit 59 westbound ramp- it follows the path of the new ramp, staying on the left side about halfway from the freeway to the intersection, then crossing to the right side the rest of the way to Lacrosse. The westbound onramp is now completely closed, and construction is well underway on the widening of the Maple Avenue bridges.
Further west, the Omaha Street bridge over Rapid Creek is also well underway, with traffic still one lane each way on the south side of the bridge. At this point in time, the quickest detour I have found to get to the northwest side of town (not the West Main/Jackson area) is to take Universal Drive off of Deadwood Avenue, visibly the longest possible route to that area, but with the backups at the Deadwood/Omaha/Chicago intersection, it's faster to take Universal to bypass that intersection completely.
On the south side of town, there seems to be a resurfacing project underway on the US 16 Bypass bridge over SD 79, with westbound traffic forced into the right side left turn lane to go straight through the light and eastbound traffic pushed against the center median. Luckily, this project seems to be nearing completion.
In Box Elder, Briggs Street between Villa Drive and Liberty Boulevard is complete, but the road remains closed and blocked off, presumably because the markings aren't finished. That road is now planned to be continued as part of the Liberty Park complex, under construction in an area whose borders are Ellsworth Road, Liberty Boulevard, Tower Road (if it was extended due south from its current endpoint), and the Valley Village trailer park. Construction of this complex is still in the beginning stages, with no buildings or roads ready for construction at this time.
Update: the resurfacing project on the US 16 Bypass bridge over SD 79 is now complete, and all lanes are open again.
Long time no update, unlike Street View on the completed eastern portion of Omaha Street east of Canal, which updated earlier this month. The Street View updates may be unfinished though, since the imagery on the westbound lanes cuts off at the Black Hills Bicycles parking lot (the same place as the eastbound lanes) despite there being no direct connection due to the new median. Construction continues on the western portion of the project, with the biggest visible construction bottleneck being the bridge over Rapid Creek.
In fact, bridges seem to be bottlenecks in both major projects, as almost all of the auxiliary pavement between Exits 58 and 59 has been completed except for, of course, the bridges over Maple Avenue. The westbound ramps have been moved to their new configuration, with the eastbound ramps under construction. Since both on ramps at the current time have no acceleration lanes, the speed limit on I-90 between mile markers 58 and 60 has been reduced from 65 mph to 55 mph, assumed to run through November 20th.
Moving back to Omaha, aside from the bridge, the Deadwood Avenue and Mountain View Road intersections are under construction as well, with traffic shifts on all three roads to finish one side at a time and temporary traffic lights at both intersections. From the pavement markings visible, I can't tell if the left turn lane on Deadwood at Krebs has been included into a later step of the current project or simply forgotten.
In the Shepherd Hills development, continuation of Anamosa Street east of Philadelphia Street seems to have stalled while the first section of housing is built northeast of the intersection between those two roads. It will be an interesting change to have the eastbound East North Street skyline dominated by five story apartment buildings instead of rolling hills.
In terms of updates outside of the forum, the Omaha Street Reconstruction Facebook page receives updates somewhat often, while the Lacrosse DDI receives almost no updates on its Facebook page and somewhat less frequent updates (compared to Omaha Facebook) on its dedicated site.
I will be driving through Box Elder later today to give an update on the construction in that area.
I'm glad I drove through Box Elder, since it seems they did a lot more than I expected.
First off, the previously mentioned extension of Briggs Street is now open, and the first building foundations for the Liberty Park complex are taking shape. The Liberty Boulevard and Tower Road stoplight seems to have had new vehicle sensors installed. Further southwest, the Radar Hill Road and Highway 1416 intersection- 13 years in planning- has finally been improved, with two stop signs, some rumble strips, and literally nothing else. :meh:
As I was driving over there, I also noticed another project I forgot to update on- the Mall Drive extension is fully completed, running from Elk Vale Road to an extended Seger Drive, which itself extends to a weird three way intersection with Bennett Road and the service road to the east. Between that intersection and Elk Vale, the service road has been completely removed. I didn't check if Seger Drive was also finished through to Elk Vale, but chances are it was completed around the same time as Mall.
Somewhat unrelated to roads but still related to cars, the Chevrolet dealership had their show lot emptied for the installation of hail shields over all of the spots in the lot as I drove past, being the third dealership to do so after the Honda and Ford dealerships. I guess they've had enough hail damage sales to warrant those at this point.
I wonder if Rapid City will see a growth spurt similar to Boise. It's in a pretty cool area and I love the Black Hills. I've been three times but yet to visit Rapid City.
Quote from: X99 on September 22, 2021, 01:44:15 PM
Somewhat unrelated to roads but still related to cars, the Chevrolet dealership had their show lot emptied for the installation of hail shields over all of the spots in the lot as I drove past, being the third dealership to do so after the Honda and Ford dealerships. I guess they've had enough hail damage sales to warrant those at this point.
Those things are complicated. When we were shopping for a car last year, I noticed all the dealers with them had issues with birds roosting on the inner struts and crapping all over the cars underneath. I realize cleaning the bird crap is cheaper but it sure makes it hard to sell a car if you have to wash it multiple times per day.
Quote from: rte66man on September 23, 2021, 07:41:28 PM
Quote from: X99 on September 22, 2021, 01:44:15 PM
Somewhat unrelated to roads but still related to cars, the Chevrolet dealership had their show lot emptied for the installation of hail shields over all of the spots in the lot as I drove past, being the third dealership to do so after the Honda and Ford dealerships. I guess they've had enough hail damage sales to warrant those at this point.
Those things are complicated. When we were shopping for a car last year, I noticed all the dealers with them had issues with birds roosting on the inner struts and crapping all over the cars underneath. I realize cleaning the bird crap is cheaper but it sure makes it hard to sell a car if you have to wash it multiple times per day.
Hail damage cost probably justifies it; there's plenty of other places for birds to nest in Rapid that aren't in giant parking lots.
Quote from: X99 on September 22, 2021, 01:44:15 PM
being the third dealership to do so after the Honda and Ford dealerships.
Surprised Toyota hasn't done it yet, since Denny Menholt owns that one too (for non-locals he owns the Chevy and Honda dealerships).
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on September 22, 2021, 04:00:08 PM
I wonder if Rapid City will see a growth spurt similar to Boise. It's in a pretty cool area and I love the Black Hills. I've been three times but yet to visit Rapid City.
Please no we don't deserve that punishment.
I'm a little disappointed - I got out to the hills recently (August) but didn't get to go past Lacrosse St on I-90. I really wanted to see how that was shaping up.
The Maple Avenue I-90 westbound bridge is finished and ready to open to traffic, while the eastbound bridge seems to not even be paved. I'll try to get over the top of the bridge and out to Omaha on Thursday to check on the progress there.
As per the Journal (https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/interstate-90-could-resume-normal-traffic-by-thanksgiving/article_0783f04b-c63b-572f-b990-ee23d8dfbf49.html) (light paywall, open in Private/Incognito to get around it), I-90 should be complete enough to resume normal traffic patterns by Thanksgiving. It's been an abnormally nice fall in the Hills (apart from that one snowstorm in early October) so I bet the contractor's taking advantage of all the good weather they can.
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on September 22, 2021, 04:00:08 PM
I wonder if Rapid City will see a growth spurt similar to Boise. It's in a pretty cool area and I love the Black Hills. I've been three times but yet to visit Rapid City.
Rapid City and the Black Hills region have a significant disadvantage compared to, say, Bend, Grand Junction, or St. George: The property tax levies are more than double what a lot of the intermountain West pays. To put the comparison in stark terms: Black Hills residents pay a higher tax bill on a $300K home than Colorado residents pay on a $600K home.
So with that, the growth the Black Hills will see is somewhat limited to the folks moving in from the rest of the Midwest, wihch is used to paying property taxes at Black Hills rates. Think Sioux Falls, Omaha, and MSP residents buying vacation properties.
Quote from: SD Mapman on November 16, 2021, 04:27:52 PM
As per the Journal (https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/interstate-90-could-resume-normal-traffic-by-thanksgiving/article_0783f04b-c63b-572f-b990-ee23d8dfbf49.html) (light paywall, open in Private/Incognito to get around it), I-90 should be complete enough to resume normal traffic patterns by Thanksgiving. It's been an abnormally nice fall in the Hills (apart from that one snowstorm in early October) so I bet the contractor's taking advantage of all the good weather they can.
Does this mean both auxiliary lanes across Maple Avenue plus the currently closed Haines ramp will be open? Hopefully by then people realize how auxiliary lanes work- the westbound auxiliary lane has been open for all of two weeks and I've already been passed by someone treating it like a full lane.
Quote from: X99 on November 17, 2021, 01:01:28 PM
Quote from: SD Mapman on November 16, 2021, 04:27:52 PM
As per the Journal (https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/interstate-90-could-resume-normal-traffic-by-thanksgiving/article_0783f04b-c63b-572f-b990-ee23d8dfbf49.html) (light paywall, open in Private/Incognito to get around it), I-90 should be complete enough to resume normal traffic patterns by Thanksgiving. It's been an abnormally nice fall in the Hills (apart from that one snowstorm in early October) so I bet the contractor's taking advantage of all the good weather they can.
Does this mean both auxiliary lanes across Maple Avenue plus the currently closed Haines ramp will be open? Hopefully by then people realize how auxiliary lanes work- the westbound auxiliary lane has been open for all of two weeks and I've already been passed by someone treating it like a full lane.
Haven't been down to Rapid in a while, so I can only assume that all lanes will open. As for treating the auxiliary lane as a full lane, I've had that happen to me between Exits 57 & 58 eastbound multiple times...
The good weather ended this morning with snow, but as of posting this none of it is on the ground yet and I still saw construction equipment moving around in Shepherd Hills, assuming the other projects are also still going as long as they can.
Box Elder's Liberty Plaza is progressing at a surprisingly fast rate, with most of the major roads already in place and the main structure started for the convention center. It seems the road aligned with Briggs Street south of Liberty Boulevard will actually be Main Street, a road name Box Elder previously hasn't actually used. I wonder if they'll rename Briggs to the north as well once the area opens to the public.
On Lacrosse Street, foundations were poured for two new bridge support columns on the east side of the existing bridge's four. Plans indicate a widening of the bridge as part of the project slated for next year. The eastbound Maple Avenue bridge was in the concrete form when I drove past it last Thursday, so I'm assuming at this point it's finished and either waiting on the approaches or going through final connections to the main roadway.
Omaha Street traffic is now on the north side of the newly widened Rapid Creek bridge, with the south side being rebuilt. This traffic change stays through the Deadwood Avenue intersection before returning to all lanes.
Unrelated to roads, but if I remember the land ownership right, our first Chick-Fil-A is under construction as well.
Quote from: X99 on November 24, 2021, 12:19:50 PM
Unrelated to roads, but if I remember the land ownership right, our first Chick-Fil-A is under construction as well.
Wait what
My dad wanted to get one going in Spearfish but I guess he waited too long.
Quote from: X99 on November 24, 2021, 12:19:50 PM
Box Elder's Liberty Plaza is progressing at a surprisingly fast rate, with most of the major roads already in place and the main structure started for the convention center. It seems the road aligned with Briggs Street south of Liberty Boulevard will actually be Main Street, a road name Box Elder previously hasn't actually used. I wonder if they'll rename Briggs to the north as well once the area opens to the public.
I doubt they'd rename Briggs; all the businesses/homes would have to update their addresses and that just seems like too much hassle.
Both Maple Avenue bridges are now completed and open on all six lanes, and the eastbound Haines Avenue on ramp has been reopened.
Most construction on the DDI stopped for the winter, but that project is scheduled to resume on February 28th.
In the meantime, Omaha construction has barely slowed down- traffic is currently still in the westbound lanes, but the eastbound side is nearing completion east of Mountain View, with traffic turning left from that road onto Omaha using the new turn ramp and part of the eastbound lanes as a long detour ramp that merges back with regular eastbound traffic coming back to the eastbound lanes just before Cross Street.
I can already tell while editing that this description might be a little confusing, so I drew some lines on a map to clarify what I mean. Orange is eastbound traffic on Omaha, black is traffic turning right onto Omaha from Mountain View.
(https://i.imgur.com/MG0ZTlz.png)
The bike path under the Rapid Creek bridge, originally planned to reopen in October 2021, is still closed and is expected to remain closed through mid April.
Quote from: X99 on February 22, 2022, 03:13:50 AM
The bike path under the Rapid Creek bridge, originally planned to reopen in October 2021, is still closed and is expected to remain closed through mid April.
Is that the SD 231/W. Omaha bridge by Blood Services (or Vitalant or whatever it is now)?
Lacrosse Street construction is back underway again, with the east side of the bridge being torn apart to add two more lanes to the outside. I-90 is closed nightly from 9pm to 5am, with all traffic forced onto the ramps so the crews can work without risking dropping something on a passing car.
Quote from: SD Mapman on February 22, 2022, 06:22:47 PM
Quote from: X99 on February 22, 2022, 03:13:50 AM
The bike path under the Rapid Creek bridge, originally planned to reopen in October 2021, is still closed and is expected to remain closed through mid April.
Is that the SD 231/W. Omaha bridge by Blood Services (or Vitalant or whatever it is now)?
That's the one.
Quote from: X99 on March 14, 2022, 04:34:26 AM
Lacrosse Street construction is back underway again, with the east side of the bridge being torn apart to add two more lanes to the outside. I-90 is closed nightly from 9pm to 5am, with all traffic forced onto the ramps so the crews can work without risking dropping something on a passing car.
Quote from: SD Mapman on February 22, 2022, 06:22:47 PM
Quote from: X99 on February 22, 2022, 03:13:50 AM
The bike path under the Rapid Creek bridge, originally planned to reopen in October 2021, is still closed and is expected to remain closed through mid April.
Is that the SD 231/W. Omaha bridge by Blood Services (or Vitalant or whatever it is now)?
That's the one.
Good to know, I'll avoid that way if I have to go for a run from there this spring.
St Patrick Street between Omaha (SD 44) and Valley Drive is closed for construction of a box culvert under St Patrick near 44. Centre Street across Rapid Creek is also closed, and it seems like they're redoing something on that bridge again, which is a little odd given how short of a time it's been since it was last closed for that.
Quote from: X99 on March 22, 2022, 11:33:17 AM
St Patrick Street between Omaha (SD 44) and Valley Drive is closed for construction of a box culvert under St Patrick near 44. Centre Street across Rapid Creek is also closed, and it seems like they're redoing something on that bridge again, which is a little odd given how short of a time it's been since it was last closed for that.
Given the quality of the Rapid City street network (driving Kansas City by Mines will definitely mix your Culver's milkshake), I'm not surprised they have to do touch-up work on an already completed project.
It seems I-90 is no longer doing nightly closures for the time being. The bridge partial demolition seems to be finished, and when I drove under it last night it was open all the way through. However, the temporary stoplights are on flashing red and have been for a week straight, which seems a little odd since those intersections are usually heavily traveled.
Probably too lazy to change it until someone complains.
As of now, the only thing keeping Lacrosse bridge construction is the weather- as soon as it warms up, they're planning to bring out the cranes to start putting it all together.
On Omaha, the Rapid Creek bridge expansion is nearing completion, which should bring traffic to at least two lanes each way all the way through the construction zone while work on the median is finished. If everything went to plan last week, the bike path should have reopened three days ago, but I haven't been out there to check since the opening date.
St Patrick Street is still closed, but only at the end. The closure is from SD 44 to Valley Drive, with most traffic taking Valley or Sedivy to get back to 44.
The Cambell Street bridge over the end of St Joseph Street is down to one lane each way as the bridge prepares for deck improvement work.
Quote from: X99 on April 19, 2022, 01:28:06 PM
St Patrick Street is still closed, but only at the end. The closure is from SD 44 to Valley Drive, with most traffic taking Valley or Sedivy to get back to 44.
That just for city utility work?
Quote from: SD Mapman on April 19, 2022, 01:30:09 PM
Quote from: X99 on April 19, 2022, 01:28:06 PM
St Patrick Street is still closed, but only at the end. The closure is from SD 44 to Valley Drive, with most traffic taking Valley or Sedivy to get back to 44.
That just for city utility work?
Something about building a box culvert if I read the notice right. Seems a little odd that it's taking this long though, and I'm sure today's snowstorm isn't helping.
Quote from: X99 on April 24, 2022, 01:50:10 AM
Quote from: SD Mapman on April 19, 2022, 01:30:09 PM
Quote from: X99 on April 19, 2022, 01:28:06 PM
St Patrick Street is still closed, but only at the end. The closure is from SD 44 to Valley Drive, with most traffic taking Valley or Sedivy to get back to 44.
That just for city utility work?
Something about building a box culvert if I read the notice right. Seems a little odd that it's taking this long though, and I'm sure today's snowstorm isn't helping.
It seems like construction projects in general are taking longer now, and trying to get stuff done in the spring out here is always a crapshoot.
Omaha Street traffic is now on both sides of the expanded Rapid Creek bridge, with the middle lanes closed to allow for final completion of the median. Overall, this project seems to be nearing completion, though no final completion date is known at this time.
The beams for the parallel bridge span on Lacrosse Street are almost all in place. On the south side of the bridge, I saw what seems to be the east median curb for the south crossover intersection already in place, despite no other work in progress for that section of roadway.
St Patrick Street is completed and reopened to traffic, while St Joseph has the left lane closed across from the courthouse for construction on what seems to be the city's newest attempt at a ten story skyscraper, an odd location considering it isn't near any of the other skyscrapers in the downtown core.
edit: i was way off, the ten story tower hasn't even started construction yet, and is actually right next to the downtown core. The building I was referencing just happened to be the same shape and under construction with at least 5 floors, so I assumed the two were one and the same. Road's still closed though, that didn't change.
Nightly closures on I-90 at Lacrosse again last night, tonight, and tomorrow, 9pm to 5am with traffic diverted to the ramps as usual. The new beams are all finished now, so I can't really tell what they're working on this time.
East Anamosa Street is closed just past the Elk Vale intersection- again. From what I've seen driving past, it seems their pavement rebuild after the last closure wasn't done properly, since it's the exact same spot missing now.
The intersection of 5th and Stumer remains under construction, with traffic in one lane in all directions causing traffic delays during rush hour. Anyone headed to Walmart is advised to take Black Hills Boulevard, but since that road doesn't continue north of Stumer to 5th, the traffic delays coming from the city remain.
Quote from: X99 on May 25, 2022, 10:51:18 AM
East Anamosa Street is closed just past the Elk Vale intersection- again. From what I've seen driving past, it seems their pavement rebuild after the last closure wasn't done properly, since it's the exact same spot missing now.
The intersection of 5th and Stumer remains under construction, with traffic in one lane in all directions causing traffic delays during rush hour. Anyone headed to Walmart is advised to take Black Hills Boulevard, but since that road doesn't continue north of Stumer to 5th, the traffic delays coming from the city remain.
Ah, the legendary Rapid City pavement quality. Has the LaCrosse Walmart increased in busyness since the construction at 5th and Stumer?
Quote from: SD Mapman on May 28, 2022, 02:32:16 PM
Quote from: X99 on May 25, 2022, 10:51:18 AM
East Anamosa Street is closed just past the Elk Vale intersection- again. From what I've seen driving past, it seems their pavement rebuild after the last closure wasn't done properly, since it's the exact same spot missing now.
The intersection of 5th and Stumer remains under construction, with traffic in one lane in all directions causing traffic delays during rush hour. Anyone headed to Walmart is advised to take Black Hills Boulevard, but since that road doesn't continue north of Stumer to 5th, the traffic delays coming from the city remain.
Ah, the legendary Rapid City pavement quality. Has the LaCrosse Walmart increased in busyness since the construction at 5th and Stumer?
I don't typically go to the one on Lacrosse so I don't know for sure, but given its proximity to the interchange construction, I would assume they were both about the same. 5th is opening up again now though, so traffic impacts are lessening down there.
Speaking of Lacrosse, the westbound on ramp closed today and is expected to be closed through August to expedite widening and reconstruction- which, according to the drone shots on the project site from last month, is already finished, so aside from the widening I don't really know what their plan is with that one. EDIT: the eastbound on ramp is also closed, but that one is only supposed to run through July 1st.
All final curbs for the east side of the south crossover are in place south of the eastbound on ramp. This, and the fact that the new bridge is wide enough for two full lanes, are currently the only visible signs that the new interchange will be a DDI.
Just got back from vacation, and as my flight was circling over the west side of the city, I got a perfectly framed view of the Lacrosse interchange through the right side window. Northbound traffic follows the new left lane going into the DDI east side crossover, then joins the old ramps at the site of the new intersections, crossing the highway on the old bridge.
As for Omaha, the project is in its final stages, with landscaping work on the new median currently in progress. Further east, the Homestead Street connection between Timmons Boulevard and Degeest Drive is finally complete, allowing a much more direct route to East Middle School to the east and Timmons Market to the west.
Two of these new projects (Homestead and Lacrosse) are paved with very dark asphalt, a stark contrast to the usual light gray of almost all other roads in the city.
Quote from: X99 on July 05, 2022, 02:36:33 PM
Two of these new projects (Homestead and Lacrosse) are paved with very dark asphalt, a stark contrast to the usual light gray of almost all other roads in the city.
I think that's just because it's fresh, over the years it will lighten to match the other roads. That's at least my experience with Spearfish construction.
Finally found a project page (https://dot.sd.gov/rapidcity-pcn-04pd) for the current construction work on SD 44 near Covington Drive. It seems the long delayed sidewalk is finally being built from Covington to Lacrosse. An intersection rebuild at Omaha and Cambell Streets is included as part of this project, and will see the removal of the four right turn ramps in favor of new right turn lanes on Omaha. Despite the project's eastern end at Covington, the planned stoplight for that intersection remains to be seen.
On the Lacrosse DDI, the old bridge seems to be finished in terms of overall shape- and it seems my original speculation of an expanded bridge was incorrect. The pedestrian sidewalk and fence has been re-added to the east side of the old bridge, with an estimated 5 foot gap between it and the new bridge, which remains under construction.
The work at 5th and Stumer is complete, and all lanes have been reopened to traffic.
West Omaha is all but finished, with brief lane closures to work on things like landscaping and line painting.
The SD 44 sidewalk project is moving surprisingly quickly, with the work zone already past Mickelson Drive, and work on the East Omaha/Cambell intersection is expected to begin on the 15th.
All completed roads in Box Elder's Liberty Plaza development are now open to traffic, but at this time there is still nothing built on those roads for people to actually visit.
Quote from: SD Mapman on May 28, 2022, 02:32:16 PM
Ah, the legendary Rapid City pavement quality. Has the LaCrosse Walmart increased in busyness since the construction at 5th and Stumer?
Aberdonians, especially those residing near 5th Ave and 2nd St: "Am I a joke to you?" :-D
Quote from: SoDakInterstateEnthusiast on August 17, 2022, 10:06:45 PM
Quote from: SD Mapman on May 28, 2022, 02:32:16 PM
Ah, the legendary Rapid City pavement quality. Has the LaCrosse Walmart increased in busyness since the construction at 5th and Stumer?
Aberdonians, especially those residing near 5th Ave and 2nd St: "Am I a joke to you?" :-D
Haven't been up that way since my grandparents from Conde died so I can neither affirm nor deny your statement lol, all I know is that E. Kansas City St. by Mines feels like you're driving over a washboardy gravel road, but paved.
Quote from: SD Mapman on August 20, 2022, 10:36:11 AM
Quote from: SoDakInterstateEnthusiast on August 17, 2022, 10:06:45 PM
Quote from: SD Mapman on May 28, 2022, 02:32:16 PM
Ah, the legendary Rapid City pavement quality. Has the LaCrosse Walmart increased in busyness since the construction at 5th and Stumer?
Aberdonians, especially those residing near 5th Ave and 2nd St: "Am I a joke to you?" :-D
Haven't been up that way since my grandparents from Conde died so I can neither affirm nor deny your statement lol, all I know is that E. Kansas City St. by Mines feels like you're driving over a washboardy gravel road, but paved.
Yeah, I know that feeling. I also know the feeling of pavement that feels like driving across a massive railyard in a 1995 Honda Civic - that's what 5th Ave from US-281 to the end of the divided portion, and 8th Ave from Dakota St east. (Obvious exaggeration, still very bad.)
Probably should have mentioned this two weeks ago when it started, but the intersection of Omaha and Cambell is now under construction to remove the right turn ramps. Haven't been through it in a couple days, but as of now it seems the only turn ramp that has actually been torn out so far is the northbound Cambell to eastbound Omaha ramp. The outside westbound lane is closed through the intersection to facilitate sidewalk construction, and the outside eastbound lane is closed for construction on the removed ramp corner.
The expansion of West Omaha Street is finished. Six lanes from West Boulevard/I-190 to Mountain View Road, five lanes from there to Deadwood Avenue (three westbound, two eastbound), four lanes past that. Any remaining lane closures are brief, and all of them are for median finishing work.
Further east on Omaha, the new westbound right turn lane at Cambell Street is paved, but not yet open. Lane closures through the intersection are still all over the place, and I still can't find anything on what the final design is supposed to look like.
Eastward from there, the sidewalk is completed from Creek Drive all the way to Covington, only missing the ADA ramps at the Jolly Lane intersection and an ADA ramp at the endpoint at Covington. Why they removed the curb, set everything up for a ramp, then put the original curb back in, I have no idea.
Lacrosse Street through traffic has been moved to the new eastern bridge as of last Thursday. The westbound on ramp is closed so they can tear up and redo the pavement leading to it from the road, while the other ramps remain open.
On eastern Omaha, the new traffic lights are active at both Jolly Lane and Cambell Street. Both new sets of lights have no reflective ring around each signal, which makes them look out of place in comparison to most other traffic lights across the city. They also pulled the ADA ramp cut-and-cancel at St. Patrick Street, which required lane closures in both directions for two weeks that resulted in absolutely nothing getting accomplished. :banghead:
Cambell Street currently has two lanes in each direction open through the Omaha intersection, while Omaha still only has one open lane each way despite all new road pavement being completed.
In somewhat less road related construction news, the new McDonalds in Box Elder is scheduled to be completed and open by early December, which will invalidate the "Last McDonalds for 205 miles" billboard just before the Elk Vale exit. (The distance is already technically wrong, since it doesn't count the McDonalds in Chamberlain for being too far off the interstate, but this new store should facilitate the billboard's removal.)
Quote from: X99 on November 08, 2022, 11:03:16 AM
In somewhat less road related construction news, the new McDonalds in Box Elder is scheduled to be completed and open by early December, which will invalidate the "Last McDonalds for 205 miles" billboard just before the Elk Vale exit. (The distance is already technically wrong, since it doesn't count the McDonalds in Chamberlain for being too far off the interstate, but this new store should facilitate the billboard's removal.)
I thought it was referring to the Chamberlain one; 61 + 205 = 266 which is close-ish to Chamberlain (263). I figured they included the stupidly slow 20 mile an hour drive down Main from I-90 to the McDs. Where did you think it was referring to?
Quote from: SD Mapman on November 08, 2022, 07:14:02 PM
I thought it was referring to the Chamberlain one; 61 + 205 = 266 which is close-ish to Chamberlain (263). I figured they included the stupidly slow 20 mile an hour drive down Main from I-90 to the McDs. Where did you think it was referring to?
Huh. I thought it was referencing the one in Mitchell. For some reason I thought it also said 305 miles instead of 205 until I checked the map while making that last post, so I guess I added the rest based on that.
Quote from: X99 on November 09, 2022, 10:49:55 AM
Quote from: SD Mapman on November 08, 2022, 07:14:02 PM
I thought it was referring to the Chamberlain one; 61 + 205 = 266 which is close-ish to Chamberlain (263). I figured they included the stupidly slow 20 mile an hour drive down Main from I-90 to the McDs. Where did you think it was referring to?
Huh. I thought it was referencing the one in Mitchell. For some reason I thought it also said 305 miles instead of 205 until I checked the map while making that last post, so I guess I added the rest based on that.
They should put a McDonald's in Okaton, just mess everything up.
All lanes are now open on Omaha through the Cambell intersection, however, that annoying tiny median curb is still in place on the east side of the intersection. Hoping that work has been paused for the winter, in order to keep as many lanes open as possible for when it starts snowing, and that the tiny curb will be removed in the spring.
Another recent observation I've made regarding the Lacrosse interchange: the two bridges are at visibly different elevations on the north end, with the new bridge's road deck at least six inches higher than the old bridge's deck. Not sure if it was built like that so the new bridge could settle, or if the new bridge is supposed to be that much higher than the old one.
Quote from: X99 on November 14, 2022, 12:51:54 PM
All lanes are now open on Omaha through the Cambell intersection, however, that annoying tiny median curb is still in place on the east side of the intersection. Hoping that work has been paused for the winter, in order to keep as many lanes open as possible for when it starts snowing, and that the tiny curb will be removed in the spring.
Another recent observation I've made regarding the Lacrosse interchange: the two bridges are at visibly different elevations on the north end, with the new bridge's road deck at least six inches higher than the old bridge's deck. Not sure if it was built like that so the new bridge could settle, or if the new bridge is supposed to be that much higher than the old one.
As a civil engineer: bridges don't get built 6" higher to settle. That's the bridge. Any settlement is addressed before a structure is built using overbuilt piles of dirt.
Quote from: Alps on November 14, 2022, 05:36:11 PM
Quote from: X99 on November 14, 2022, 12:51:54 PM
All lanes are now open on Omaha through the Cambell intersection, however, that annoying tiny median curb is still in place on the east side of the intersection. Hoping that work has been paused for the winter, in order to keep as many lanes open as possible for when it starts snowing, and that the tiny curb will be removed in the spring.
Another recent observation I've made regarding the Lacrosse interchange: the two bridges are at visibly different elevations on the north end, with the new bridge's road deck at least six inches higher than the old bridge's deck. Not sure if it was built like that so the new bridge could settle, or if the new bridge is supposed to be that much higher than the old one.
As a civil engineer: bridges don't get built 6" higher to settle. That's the bridge. Any settlement is addressed before a structure is built using overbuilt piles of dirt.
There was probably something in the IMJR about wanting a higher clearance than the old Lacrosse bridge for some reason or another. SDDOT did that at Exit 14 as well, raised the bridge a bit and lowered I-90.
Knowing the geography, it has an off chance of settling anyway and being undrivable while they try to stabilize the bedrock (see Exit 52).
Quote from: SD Mapman on November 14, 2022, 10:23:41 PM
Quote from: Alps on November 14, 2022, 05:36:11 PM
Quote from: X99 on November 14, 2022, 12:51:54 PM
All lanes are now open on Omaha through the Cambell intersection, however, that annoying tiny median curb is still in place on the east side of the intersection. Hoping that work has been paused for the winter, in order to keep as many lanes open as possible for when it starts snowing, and that the tiny curb will be removed in the spring.
Another recent observation I've made regarding the Lacrosse interchange: the two bridges are at visibly different elevations on the north end, with the new bridge's road deck at least six inches higher than the old bridge's deck. Not sure if it was built like that so the new bridge could settle, or if the new bridge is supposed to be that much higher than the old one.
As a civil engineer: bridges don't get built 6" higher to settle. That's the bridge. Any settlement is addressed before a structure is built using overbuilt piles of dirt.
There was probably something in the IMJR about wanting a higher clearance than the old Lacrosse bridge for some reason or another. SDDOT did that at Exit 14 as well, raised the bridge a bit and lowered I-90.
Knowing the geography, it has an off chance of settling anyway and being undrivable while they try to stabilize the bedrock (see Exit 52).
Higher clearance would make sense if it applied to both the old and new bridge. From what I know, there are no plans to replace the old bridge, only modifying it to fit the new configuration. As for the new bridge being undrivable while it stabilizes, that doesn't fit either- it's currently the only open bridge, and it opened as soon as the approaches were finished.
As for why I thought it needed to settle, I lived in a house in Box that settled continuously for the whole twelve years I lived there due to the soil types under the house (and an incorrectly built foundation that spurred a ten year lawsuit, but that's a different story). It could also be an issue of perspective- coming towards the interchange from the north means going uphill, and I might have looked at it wrong and seen an incline where there wasn't one. I'll have to check again after today's snowstorm goes away.
Quote from: X99 on November 15, 2022, 12:35:25 PM
As for why I thought it needed to settle, I lived in a house in Box that settled continuously for the whole twelve years I lived there due to the soil types under the house (and an incorrectly built foundation that spurred a ten year lawsuit, but that's a different story).
Yup, the soils are garbage out there, and if a contractor doesn't compact properly you're in for the long haul.
Despite the snow still on the ground, the spring construction season starts today with the closure of Lacrosse Street south of its intersection with Omaha, to begin reconstruction of the Omaha-Lacrosse intersection. This should be one of the final pieces of the east Highway 44 rebuild, as the new sidewalk from Lacrosse to Covington is already complete.
Moving to the south side, St Patrick Street will close tomorrow for resurfacing just west of 5th Street, with detours following 6th and St Francis to the southwest.
The Lacrosse DDI has yet to resume work, so no news there, but a new project has begun downtown: Block 5 (https://www.block5rapidcity.com/). The only current road closure for construction of the city's newest skyscraper is on 6th Street between St Joseph and the first alley to the south, as that area is being used for construction traffic and temporary storage. This closure is planned to last the full length of the project, at least 24 months.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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...
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
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.
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.
Sheridan Lake Road (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/cbaaa0f1fbc44d188951fef767bb7d4a) 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 (https://www.block5rapidcity.com/)'s entire seven story parking garage (https://www.rcgov.org/index.php?option=com_docman&view=download&alias=24418-22pd007-attachments&category_slug=04-april-planning-6&Itemid=149) 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.
Quote from: X99 on November 29, 2023, 01:18:07 PM
Sheridan Lake Road (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/cbaaa0f1fbc44d188951fef767bb7d4a) 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.
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
From an rcgov news article (https://www.rcgov.org/rapid-city-news-room/city-already-preparing-for-orange-cone-construction-season-12643.html) 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.