Rebuilding Highway 14

Business owners and city and county leaders filled the Chambers room in the city/county government center Wednesday to get a look at plans for the reconstruction of U.S. Highway 14 – Sixth Street – through Brookings.

The focus of this week’s gathering was the 2015 highway project that will see the rebuilding of the road from 22nd Avenue to 34th Avenue, and presenting details was engineer Paul Knofczynski with the South Dakota Department of Transportation (at top of picture, left center).

The DOT gathering is the second informational meeting on this phase of the reconstruction. In 2013, the highway from Western Avenue to Main Avenue will be rebuilt. The final section, from Main to Medary Avenue, is scheduled for reconstruction in 2016-17.

The 2015 work will see the addition of turn lanes at 22nd Avenue; raised medians; full sidewalks and pedestrian facilities throughout the construction area; replacement of the structures over I-29 with a single, wider overpass; relocation of access roads for some businesses; and the elimination of some of the service roads in the area east of 22nd.

The DOT meetings are held not only to inform the public of progress on the road design, but to take input on desired changes.

About 50 community residents attended the Wednesday evening session.