CITY

Metro governments working toward new connector highway between Sioux Falls and Brandon

Joe Sneve
Argus Leader
Tony Jones, of Fort Pierre, S.D., rides along Maple Street Tuesday, June 21, 2016, near Brandon, S.D.

Another paved connection between Sioux Falls and Brandon is inching closer to reality.

The growth of both cities has driven more traffic from the main highways onto back roads, including a once-sleepy gravel road that now sees nearly 900 vehicles on it each day.  

Officially known as 263rd Street, the road goes by Maple Street in Sioux Falls and Park Street in Brandon, and it is slated to be transformed into a modernized, two-lane highway in the coming years.

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"We've done some traffic studies, and at the current time a two-lane paved road with some potential for some turn lanes at certain locations is likely what would be constructed," said D.J. Buthe, Minnehaha County highway superintendent.

A corridor study is presently underway to determine the best design methods and identify the number of adjacent properties that would be affected by the design work. Last fall, officials estimated as many 50 private properties could be disturbed as a part of the project.

While a two-lane highway is expected, Buthe said the project will require substantial grading work due to the terrain and topography along 263rd Street. And it would be graded to handle future road expansions, he said.

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"We’d only want to grade this one time," he said.

The section of 263rd Street targeted for reconstruction is located between Veterans Parkway in Sioux Falls and Highway 11 in Brandon. Right now, it's a township road not built to handle much traffic. HDR Engineering, aiding in the corridor study, estimates daily traffic has increased from 300 vehicles per day in 2013 to roughly 900 vehicles per day today.

The increase in traffic factored into a number crashes along that stretch as well. According to accident data, 18 crashes were reported, including five that resulted in injury, between 2013 and 2017.

Early estimates put construction costs between $5 million and $7 million.

Buthe said though it's a county-led project, the hope is that all partnering governments involved would contribute toward construction costs. Federal grants are also being pursued, he said.

"We don’t know that we'll be able to afford the entire project on our own," Buthe said. "So we'd be looking to (the other jurisdictions) to develop some sort of partnership to complete the project."

Construction could start as early as 2021. The second of two public open houses to gather comments from impacted property owners and brief them on the project is scheduled for Tuesday, April 30 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Brandon Valley Intermediate School, 201 W. Park Street.

The open house will also be broadcast live via the city of Sioux Falls' Facebook page.