Joe Sneve

jsneve@argusleader.com

The widening of Louise Avenue and other heavily traveled corridors this summer is sure to cause some traffic headaches, but city planners expect easier access to Sioux Falls businesses once the orange cones are cleared.

During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, the Sioux Falls Public Works Department announced the city will tackle as much as 50 miles of street improvements this year, including major upgrades to some of Sioux Falls’ busiest corridors.

Black SUV helps police patrol in plain view

“In 2017, Sioux Falls residents and visitors will see orange barrels on several major streets in the city, and we will work hard to expedite the projects as much as we can to keep Sioux Falls moving,” City Engineer Chad Huwe said.

Here’s the rundown of which streets to avoid once the road construction season commences:

LOUISE AVENUE ($9.4 million)

The Louise Avenue makeover is estimated to cost about $9.4 million and is the city’s flagship road project of the season. The work will see Louise Avenue widened from five to six lanes between 41st Street to 49th Street, including the intersection of 49th Street and Louise Avenue.

The new road will include a median lane and redesigns of access points to The Empire Mall and other businesses that border the corridor.

Sometimes adding lanes can make traffic worse due to a phenomenon called induced demand. But Huwe said any induced demand that an additional lane could cause is expected to be offset by reworking entrances to businesses along Louise Avenue.

“With adding the additional lane and making some modifications to the roads that feed into the Louise Avenue businesses on the east and the west side – that combination of the different improvements is going to improve traffic flow,” Huwe said. “As you pull into the parking lots were going to make some improvements so you have to pull in a few hundred feet before you turn.”

69TH AND WESTERN ($9.7M)

The intersection of 69th Street and Western Avenue is getting a complete makeover with additional turning lanes aimed at increasing the intersections capacity. Work will widen 69th Street to four lanes with a center median from Landau Circle to Minnesota Avenue. Western Avenue will also be widened to five lanes from 69th Street to Dunbar Trail. While crews have the area tore up, they’ll also beef up the underground utilities there.

26TH AND MINNESOTA ($4M)

Needed street and utility improvements at 26th Street and Minnesota Avenue will cause delays this spring for commuters heading to and from downtown from southern Sioux Falls. The intersection improvements will be paired with further concrete repairs from 18th Street to 33rd Street on Minnesota Avenue.

ARROWHEAD PARKWAY ($10.6M)

The city and state transportation department are teaming up to improve and widen a portion of Highway 42 known as Arrowhead Parkway between Sycamore and Highline Avenues in eastern Sioux Falls. That stretch will go to six lanes with the addition of a median with a left-turn lane at the area’s busiest intersections.

VETERANS PARKWAY-HWY 100 ($14M)

The state will continue its progress on the long-planned Highway 100, known as Veterans Parkway within city limits. This year the transportation department will construct the segment between Maple and Rice Streets.

STREET RESURFACING ($2.1M)

A few bumpy spots of roads that aren’t slated for complete overhauls will still get some resurfacing attention this year. East 49th Street from Southeastern Avenue to Cliff Avenue and South Bahnson Avenue from 10th Street to 26th Street, for example, will get smoothed out with micro-surfacing and asphalt overlay treatments.

MORE ROAD DIETING ($800,000)

City Hall’s push for slower traffic in downtown continues with the extension of the Main Avenue Road Diet. Back in 2014, the city repurposed one traffic lane of the street from Sixth to 14th streets to increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, add parking and extend public seating areas. Last year many of those elements were made permanent, but not all. So this year the project continues with more bumpouts and landscaping along the east side of the downtown Street between Sixth and Eighth Streets and 11th and 12th Streets.