SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The 41st St. diverging diamond in Sioux Falls is officially complete.
After two and a half years of construction, drivers can finally use the new diverging diamond at the intersection of I-29 and 41st St.
“I would also like to thank the daily commuters that likely found a new route to work,” city of Sioux Falls director of public works Mark Cotter said.
Mayor Paul TenHaken says the diverging diamond will help with traffic flow on one of the busiest streets in Sioux Falls.
“Entering and exiting the interstate is going to be safer. It’s going to reduce the number of collisions we have. As our cops will tell you, this is a spot where we have some accidents with the old set up,” TenHaken said.
It should also be pedestrian-friendly.
“We enhanced the pedestrian and bicycle improvements to provide pedestrian refuges, as well as traffic signals,” South Dakota DOT secretary of transportation Joel Jundt said.
While the diverging diamond will improve some things on 41st St., it may take some drivers some time to get a hang of it.
“When we built the first single point interchange in Rapid City, my sister called me up and said, ‘What do I do, what I do? How am I going to drive this?’ And I said, ‘Just follow the lines, follow the lines and the arrows,'” Jundt said.
“I think with the construction over two years, they’ve kind of trained us which way to go. I’m really happy that it’s open, and I think it’ll help a lot with the the congestion on 41st St.,” Sandra Erickson said.
This was a $44 million project, with the state of South Dakota funding 54% and the city of Sioux Falls paying for the other 46%.
