Rapid City, the second-largest town in South Dakota, has experienced a population boom over the last few years. The city, famous for its proximity to Mount Rushmore, which draws nearly 2.5 million visitors annually, has a population of almost 80,000.
According to the US Census Bureau's Annual City and Town Population totals, Rapid City was the 54th fastest-growing city in 2022. It retained its spot as the fastest-growing community in the Midwest. From July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022. Its growth rate was six times the national average.
The city of Rapid City and general contractor Reede Construction are engaged in a widening project, the Sheridan Lake Road Reconstruction. The construction will ensure the infrastructure keeps up with the needs that come with population growth.
Significant Growth
The existing section of Sheridan Lake Road is two lanes. Note that when it was reconstructed in the mid-1990s, the ADT on Sheridan Lake Road was approximately 4,000. In 2019, the traffic count quadrupled to 16,000. The ADT has continued to rise since.
Note that Sheridan Lake is approximately 15 mi. from the construction site (the road continues to the lake). According to the United States Forest Service, the lake covers 75 acres, and its south shore is home to the largest campground in the Black Hills National Forest.
It's primarily area residents who drive through the construction site (approximately .75 mi.). There also is a school nearby — Corral Drive Elementary School. The school serves nearly 500 students in grades K-5.
The existing road includes turn lanes at Catron Boulevard and Corral Drive.
"Both intersections carry a high volume of traffic and were starting to back up at peak times," said Jesse Bruns, vice president of estimating/market development of Reede Construction.
The team is widening the road to include two lanes in each direction and a middle turn lane through most of the construction area to accommodate the growing traffic. There will be sufficient room for two left turn lanes at the intersections of Catron Boulevard and Corral Drive.
The team also is installing a 10-ft. wide bike path on the west side of Sheridan Lake Road, while the east side will have a 5-ft. sidewalk.
"A bike path was essential to provide a walkway for all of the kids that need to get to the school off of Corral Drive," Bruns said. "This is a residential area, and pedestrians needed a way to get from one end of the job to the other safely."
The widened road is expected to accommodate existing traffic and the predicted future increases.
Other project elements include:
Minor adjustments to municipal utilities such as replacing or installing new water lines, sanitary sewer mains and storm sewers.
Roadway lighting to provide acceptable lighting levels on the new roadway and the installation of new traffic signals at the intersections with Catron Boulevard and Corral Drive.
Enhanced Efficiency
For drivers and pedestrians, the best part of an infrastructure project is its completion, when they can enjoy the benefits. City of Rapid City, SDDOT and Reede Construction are working hard to minimize inconveniences and complete the job promptly.
The team has dealt with some challenges while moving forward on the construction site.
"We've encountered some utility conflicts with existing utilities [gas lines, conduits for cable/internet, etc.]," Bruns said. The contractor and owner have worked closely with these companies to limit conflicts to the best of our abilities."
Bruns added that traffic on the road has become congested during construction and gets backed up during peak travel times.
"To try and limit the downtime for turn lanes at Corral Drive and Catron Boulevard, the owner made it a part of our contract to estimate the number of days the traveling public would not have access to the turn lane."
Bruns and the team proposed reducing the number of days the left turn lanes would be inaccessible.
"We estimated 120 days but were able to reduce that to around 20 days, which will greatly benefit the traveling public greatly."
The team intends to use the incentive days that will be paid to the contractor to pay for the additional costs incurred due to the temporary widening that was placed.
On Schedule, On Budget
The job began in June of 2024, and construction is scheduled to be completed this fall. The team completed the surfacing over the summer.
Bruns attributes this to a few factors.
During the winter, the team periodically put in additional hours.
The team worked during the night on occasion as well.
The team began paving operations early morning
"We started concrete paving operations on a few pave days early in the morning hours to try and avoid high traffic volumes as much as possible," he said.
While early work increases productivity, it can be dangerous. Reede took steps to minimize the risks.
"We utilized light plants and flagging operations to provide a safe working environment for the workers, owner representatives as well as the traveling public."
The construction budget for the project is approximately $15.5 million.
"There will be some items that were in the contract that won't be needed as well as additional work will be added to the contract. That being said, so far the job is estimated to on budget," Bruns said.
Whether taking your child to school, driving to Black Hills National Forest campgrounds, visiting Mount Rushmore or going about your daily routine in Rapid City, your commute will be smoother when the construction is complete. The widened section of Sheridan Lake Road is another way that the city of Rapid City is ensuring the infrastructure keeps up with the needs of the growing population of Rapid City.
