As soon as the calendar turns from winter to spring it means that it's time for the road crews to hit those roads and make them bigger and better. Or just fix them.

There are several significant street construction projects planned for 2018. The City of Sioux Falls says that  the expansion and reconstruction of Ellis Road will be the City’s flagship street construction project in 2018.

“Almost 500 miles of streets have been repaired, rebuilt, or replaced in Sioux Falls since 2010. Our city’s infrastructure has come a long way, and 2018 will prove to be another step to making things even better,” Mayor Mike Huether said in a statement.

Here's some highlights of the major projects for this year:

  • Scheduled to begin in early April, Ellis Road will be reconstructed from 12th Street to 41st Street. The roadway will be widened to four lanes with a median and turn lanes at select intersections. The project also will include installation of underground utilities, new LED streetlights, and widened side paths for bicyclists and pedestrians. The project will be constructed as a full closure to northbound and southbound traffic.
  • In the area of 43rd Street and Terry Avenue, existing streets will be reconstructed or resurfaced as part of a major storm water drainage improvement project. An underground storm water storage facility will be installed under the current Marion Park, and the park itself will be renovated as well. The drainage pipe network in the neighborhood will be upgraded also, along with other underground utilities.
  • The Madison Street and Louise Avenue intersection will be reconstructed. Madison Street will be widened to five lanes west of the river and to four lanes east of the river. Louise Avenue will be expanded to three lanes from Madison Street to the north. A pedestrian bridge also will be built over the river and connected to the bike trail.
  • The intersection of West 26th Street and South Minnesota Avenue will be reconstructed. This project will include improvements to the street and underground utilities within the intersection, as well as concrete repairs on Minnesota Avenue.
  • The second phase of the East Arrowhead Parkway project will be completed between Sycamore Avenue and Highline Avenue. Arrowhead Parkway will be widened to six lanes and include a median with left-turn lanes at select intersections throughout the corridor. Various underground utility upgrades will also be completed with this project.
  • The South Dakota Department of Transportation will continue constructing Veterans Parkway, and this year the segment between Rice Street and I-90 will begin. Veterans Parkway will be fully connected to I-90 in 2019.
  • Several other major streets will be resurfaced, including West 49th Street from Carnegie Circle to Western Avenue and Career Avenue from Innovation Street to Terry Avenue.

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