Sioux Falls’ Street Construction Season Begins

Published on March 19, 2025

The City of Sioux Falls is gearing up for another street construction season that will include reconstruction of key intersections, accessibility improvements, and smoothing neighborhood streets.

The City’s annual street construction projects include a combination of preservation, rehabilitation, expansion, and reconstruction work to maintain and grow the city’s transportation network, which includes streets, highways, bridges, and sidewalks. In addition to improving the street conditions, traffic flow, and ride quality, projects also typically include utility upgrades, traffic signals and timing adjustments, and pedestrian, bike, and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) accessibility improvements.

“Maintaining our community’s transportation network is an important responsibility of our team, and we have several projects this year that will bring great enhancements to our roadways,” said Andy Berg, City Engineer. “As always, we ask the public to please slow down in construction zones, plan alternate routes to avoid construction areas where possible, and allow yourself extra time to get to your destination.”

Street construction projects are planned and budgeted through the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP). In 2025, $70 million is budgeted for highways and streets. Street construction projects are prioritized based on several factors, including utility conditions, resident feedback, and a citywide pavement survey conducted every four years that inventories street conditions and helps City teams make cost-effective, timely improvements.

The City has a number of ways for residents to stay informed of important street construction updates. Specific project pages are available at SiouxFalls.gov/Construction, and residents can sign up for monthly newsletters that overview key project milestones and information. On social media, the City posts regular street construction updates to its Facebook, LinkedIn, and X channels and hosts a monthly video series called “Public Works Update” that takes residents directly to job sites, viewable at www.YouTube.com/@CityofSiouxFalls.

2025 Street Construction Project Highlights

City of Sioux Falls Projects:

Arrowhead Parkway and Veterans Parkway Intersection

Project Details
  • This project will fully reconstruct and widen the intersection of Arrowhead Parkway and Veterans Parkway. Work on Arrowhead Parkway will extend from Highline Avenue to Tenth Street, and work on Veterans Parkway will extend from Sixth Street to 26th Street. 
  • Work will include underground utility improvements, a storm water detention pond, three pedestrian underpasses, six retaining walls, grading, concrete surfacing, signing, street lighting, traffic signals, and a landscaped median.
Impacts to Drivers
  • Sixth Street between Foss Avenue and Veterans Parkway has opened to traffic following its construction last fall to help alleviate traffic congestion due to this year’s intersection project.
  • Arrowhead Parkway will be closed east of the intersection during the 2025 construction. Veterans Parkway will remain open to one lane of traffic in each direction during construction.
  • Additional details on the project, including a detour map, will be released ahead of the project’s start in the coming weeks.
Estimated Timeline
  • Construction is expected to begin by the end of March and continue into November, as weather permits. Work will resume as weather allows in 2026 and continue until the project is substantially complete in November of 2026. Minor lane closures may occur in spring 2027 as crews perform site restoration and clean-up work.

12th Street from Ellis Road to Marion Road

Project Details
  • Work consists of an asphalt overlay on the existing concrete surface to improve the ride for drivers.
  • Other work occurring with the project includes accessible curb ramp replacement, storm drainage improvements, lighting improvements, and traffic system improvements.
Impacts to Drivers
  • 12th Street will be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction between Ellis Road and Marion Road throughout construction.
Estimated Timeline
  • This project is expected to begin in May and be completed this fall.

North Drive Bridge Preservation

Project Details
  • This project consists of bridge maintenance work on the North Drive bridges between Main Avenue and Fourth Avenue near the South Dakota State Penitentiary.
  • Work on the bridge over the railroad tracks includes a polymer chip seal, concrete deck repairs, and other maintenance work.
  • Work on the bridge over the spillway includes a concrete overlay, replacement of the approach slabs on both ends of the bridge, new concrete sidewalk adjacent to the bridge, connecting the new sidewalk to the bike trail system, and other maintenance work.
Impacts to Drivers
  • The bridge over the railroad tracks will remain open to traffic during the project, though lane widths will be reduced.
  • The bridge over the spillway will be closed for approximately one month during construction. A detour will be set up utilizing Minnesota Avenue, Benson Road, and Fourth Avenue.
Estimated Timeline
  • The project is expected to begin this summer and be completed this fall.

2025 ADA Improvements

Project Details
  • This project consists of ADA accessibility improvements along 41st Street between Westport Avenue and Western Avenue and along Minnesota Avenue between 11th Street and 18th Street.
  • Work will include sidewalk improvements, driveway improvements, and curb and gutter repairs.
Impacts to Drivers
  • Traffic will be reduced to one lane through the construction areas.

Mill and Asphalt Overlay (Citywide)

Routine maintenance is the key to managing the City’s street assets in a cost-effective manner. Well-timed maintenance allows streets to stay in good condition and extends its life. Milling removes deterioration from the street and improves ride. Other improvements, like utility and concrete repairs, are made in conjunction with these projects where needed. This program is less disruptive than a street reconstruction project, improves ride quality, and extends the life of the street. The City will mill and overlay more than 220 blocks this construction season.

Slurry Seal (Citywide)

Similar to the mill and asphalt overlay program, slurry seal is a preventative maintenance program intended to extend the life of a street in a cost-effective manner. Slurry seal is used to preserve streets in good condition and address minor defects. A slurry seal is a half-inch layer applied on top of the existing asphalt surface by a paver and is a mix of asphalt oil, small rock, and other additives. The slurry seal process is very fast, and streets are typically open to traffic within a few hours after application. This summer, the City will impact more than 500 blocks with slurry seal.

For both the mill and asphalt overlay and slurry seal programs, a list of impacted neighborhoods and schedule is available at SiouxFalls.gov/Construction. Residents whose neighborhoods have been assigned to these programs are encouraged to sign up for text alerts at SiouxFalls.gov/Alert to be notified when the City will begin and end a project so they can move their vehicles and adjust their schedules accordingly.

City of Sioux Falls and South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) Projects:

Cliff Avenue and Interstate 229 Interchange

Project Details
  • This project will fully reconstruct the Cliff Avenue and I-229 interchange. Cliff Avenue will be reconstructed between 38th Street and the Spencer Park entrance, and the 41st Street intersection will be realigned further to the north.
  • Work will include underground utility improvements, two pedestrian underpasses, grading, concrete surfacing, signing, street lighting, and traffic signals.
  • A public open house for this project will be held Wednesday, April 9, 2025, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Lincoln High School (2900 South Cliff Avenue).
Impacts to Drivers
  • I-229 traffic will have two lanes of traffic maintained in each direction throughout construction.
  • The southbound on- and off-ramps will be closed during 2025, but the northbound on- and off-ramps will remain open.
  • Cliff Avenue will be reduced to one lane in each direction while school is in session.
  • Cliff Avenue will be fully closed between 38th Street and I-229 during the summer but should reopen to one lane of traffic in each direction by the time school starts this fall.
  • In 2026, the northbound on- and off-ramps will be closed, but the southbound on- and off-ramps will be open.
Estimated Timeline
  • Construction is expected to begin in April and continue into November as weather permits. Work will resume as weather allows in 2026 and continue until the project is substantially complete in the fall of 2026.

85th Street and Interstate 29 Diverging Diamond Interchange

Project Details
  • This project consists of the construction of a new diverging diamond interchange at 85th Street and I-29.
  • Work will include underground utility installation, a pedestrian underpass, grading, concrete surfacing, signing, street lighting, and traffic signals.
Estimated Timeline
  • The interchange project is expected to begin construction later this year and be completed in late 2026.

85th Street from Sundowner Avenue to Heritage Parkway

To complement the interchange project, there is also a joint project between the City of Sioux Falls and the City of Tea to improve 85th Street between Sundowner Avenue and Heritage Parkway (Ellis Road). Work on this project includes underground utility installation, fully constructing the intersection of 85th Street and Sundowner Avenue to a concrete urban intersection, constructing an asphalt rural section on 85th Street, and constructing a roundabout at 85th Street and Heritage Parkway. The project started in 2024. Construction is expected to restart on or about April 1 and be completed this fall.

South Veterans Parkway—Cliff Avenue to Sycamore Avenue

Project Details
  • This project will consist of construction on South Veterans Parkway between Cliff Avenue and Sycamore Avenue.
  • Work will include underground utility installation, grading, concrete surfacing on Veterans Parkway, asphalt surfacing on Southeastern Avenue and Sycamore Avenue, signing, street lighting, and traffic signals.
  • Project webpage: SouthVeteransParkway.com
  • An informational open house for this project will be held Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Harrisburg East Middle School (3001 East Bison Trail).
Impacts to Drivers
  • Southeastern Avenue and Sycamore Avenue will be closed while construction is occurring in these intersections, but only one intersection will be closed at a time.
  • Southeastern Avenue will not close until school is out for the summer and will reopen before school starts in the fall.
  • No impacts are expected to traffic on Cliff Avenue.

Details for all street construction projects are available at SiouxFalls.gov/Construction.

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