City plans $9 million in summer infrastructure upgrades
By:
Staff report
More than $9 million in infrastructure improvements are planned for Brandon this summer.
Some of the work is already underway, including the storm sewer project along Redwood Boulevard. The project, which has shut down a portion of the road near the Splitrock Boulevard/Highway 11 intersection, is nearing completion, according to city engineer Tami Jansma. The storm sewer project will be followed by a water looping project at Aspen Boulevard near Chestnut Boulevard, and the road will remain open to traffic.
Two projects are waiting for the Big Sioux River to subside. The Main Avenue Interceptor Sewer Project will consist of replacing sewer main from the old lagoon site west to Aspen Park. Estimated at $4.5 million, the project will replace and close portions of Dogwood Street and Main Avenue. Access to Aspen Park will remain open, but construction crews will be working around the park into the late fall.
A second street improvement project hinging on the level of the Big Sioux, which consists of improvements to Holly Boulevard, will close the intersection of Holly and Sioux boulevards for approximately 30 days.
The $2.23 million project will widen Holly starting at the intersection of Sioux and extends west to the bridge over the Big Sioux River, replace the railroad crossing and add a 10-foot bike trail on the south side of Holly.
Traffic will be detoured to Madison Street during the 30-day period in which the crossing is replaced, and construction is anticipated to begin after July 4, Jansma said.
The city of Brandon will also tackle the last phase of improvements to Sylvan Circle this summer. Construction started Monday on Brandon Park Addition, a $1.5 million water, sewer and storm sewer replacement project that will impact around 30 homes on Pipestone Street, Sylvan Circle, Teton Drive and Rushmore Drive.
Meanwhile, the South Dakota Department of Transportation is wrapping up curb replacement along Splitrock Boulevard/Highway 11. The project, which began in May, includes replacing curb ramps and sidewalk from Aspen Boulevard to Cedar Street, upgrading traffic signals and replacing a few street signs.
The city of Brandon will embark on its annual slurry seal project in June, too. Last summer, the city slurry-sealed the area east of Country Club Avenue, and this summer, plans are to patch asphalt and replace curbs prior to beginning slurry seal in mid-July. A portion of Holly Boulevard near Sandstone Avenue will also receive slurry seal this year prior to restriping the road and adding a left turn lane at Sandstone.
Jansma is reviewing SDDOT plans to install a temporary traffic signal at Splitrock Boulevard and I-90. The signal, which she still anticipates going up this year, will be in place through 2023, when the interchange will be reconstructed, she said.
