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I read about this project when I was looking at the Argus Leader online forum and the links were provided. The DOT was vague on when they were looking at doing the project, but I have seen on the Statewide Improvement Program that the area is slated to be improved in a few years and it could be five years before the state can put in the 85th St. exit, which I would like to see to help the Sanford Research park and Tea. Tea will definitely benefit from the exit and this exit has a potential for hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and stores, especially if the research park is doing well.
I would like to know myself, but am puzzled just as much msgustafson and sonicsfan93 regarding the time frame. I would like to see it soon. The pavement of I-29 between the Tea exit and 26th St. is getting horrible and rough, which is hard on a car. This area is nasty when the surfaces get icy and I slid into the median eight years ago (and was going slow) and there are a ton of accidents and mishaps when the roads get bad. When it is not icy, this stretch is still dangerous and is not suited for today's traffic volumes, though it may have been suitable back in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and early 90s. The stretch needs to have an additional lane for sure. I would like to see it wide like I-29 between 26th St. and 60th St. N.
Well, the Sanford project will bump up the volume. To put it bluntly, I-29 between 41st St and Tea exit is crappy, bumpy, dangerous, and overloaded with cars as it is. The stretch is pathetic for today's traffic and I would be willing to pay higher gas taxes or higher vehicle registration to pay for road improvements. Better than having to take the vehicle in to the shop for allignments and new shocks and struts). This stretch is scary if it is icy and is a nasty area for accidents. Even eight years ago, I was driving slow, lost control of the car, fishtailed, and slid into a snowbank on the median. The interstate was covered with snow with sheet ice underneath.
Another scary area is the Klondike Road west of I-29. The road is narrow, rough, and does not handle the traffic coming from Lennox along with Turner and Hutchinson Counties going to Sioux Falls well. When the road gets snowpacked or icy, it is downright scary. I almost got into a head-on collision with a truck a year and a half ago. The truck was driving in the middle of the road and I was driving in my lane as I should (and cautiously) and if I moved over to the right I would have slid into the ditch or risk losing control of the vehicle. The county and state got the hint and are in the process of rebuilding the road, so it would have a shoulder and is better suited for the traffic that goes on it. The west half is being rebuilt now and the eastern half will later this summer and will get repaved later this year.
Another strech is the county highway between I-29 and Tea. It needs to be widened to a four-lane road with turning lanes. The volumes would easily justify it and are expected to grow as Tea grows. With the new Sanford research complex, an 85th St. exit may take some pressure off of the county highway going to Tea, but the stretch needs to get updated. The legislators for the area are well aware of the problem and are pushing for funding in the legislature.
I get riled up and very passionate about having the I-29 stretch fixed. Yes, if the state is going to fix the stretch, they should do it right and put the resources into it instead of doing it half-asked.
Go NE, Sioux Falls is a great place... I hope you have a good time... Let us know if you need any info. I'll be in Omaha next week... I can't wait for that!
Go NE, Sioux Falls is a great place... I hope you have a good time... Let us know if you need any info. I'll be in Omaha next week... I can't wait for that!
I love seeing and hearing about these upgrades for SF!!! we definetley need it!! the main problem I see, are transportation problems in the metro, with populations growing in all nearby communities. The biggest problem is the traffic between Sioux Falls and Brandon, with both Rice Street and SD Highway 11 seeing some major traffic problems that need to be delt with. Rice Street is horendous with bumper to bumper traffic in the rush hours. Once they build the Benson Road expansion and complete the SD 100 beltway to the Timberlane Exit this should ease traffic problems.
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