SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A temporary bridge will be installed as part of the interchange re-construction project at Interstate 229 and Cliff Avenue, or exit 4, according to the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SD DOT).
The 160-foot bridge will be hauled in from Rapid City, SD DOT engineer Harry Johnson said in a recent construction update with the city of Sioux Falls. The bridge will be installed later this year, he said.
Utility work for the temporary bridge happened in January and February.
Shannon Ausen , with the city, said in the update a temporary bridge was used for the I-29 and 12th Street project in 2004 and 2005. Johnson said the bridge for I-229 and Cliff is not the same bridge, it’s the longer of two available bridges.
The public may have seen some construction work at night in the exit 4 area. Johnson said the contractor, Soukup Construction Inc. of Sioux Falls, chose to do some construction work at night to minimize the impact on traffic. The contractor is hauling dirt from the I-229 and Louise Avenue exit area at night, he said.
The modification of median crossovers and lane widening has started.
Two crossovers, both north and south, will be used when the I-229 and Cliff Avenue projects starts in 2024.
“We’re still going to maintain two lanes, north and south,” Johnson said
Two lanes will be on the temporary bridge and two will be to the north, Johnson said in the update.
City mayor Paul TenHaken mentioned the project in his recent budget presentation. The interchange is more than 60 years old, he said. It’s outdated for today’s traffic volume of 30,000 vehicles per day, he said.
In October of 2021 KELOLAND News story, SD DOT said the estimated cost of the project was $44 million with $4 million from the city and $40 million from the state.
