BROOKINGS The county is one step closer to taking over a 2.5-mile stretch of 214th Street between Brookings and Aurora following the approval of a resolution on Tuesday morning.
The resolution was OKd on a 5-0 vote at the Brookings County Commission meeting. It affects the gravel portion of 214th Street starting at its intersection with 34th Avenue and continuing east to the point where the road enters Auroras city limits. The change in jurisdiction from Aurora and Trenton townships to the county must still be approved by the South Dakota Department of Transportation before it can take effect.
I think this is an important step for us moving forward, Commissioner Ryan Krogman said. Our countys plan of growth and transportation and getting around safely I just dont think that the townships have the capabilities and finances to be able to maintain this chunk of road here, 2 miles, that already has and will continue to grow in traffic.
The townships are petitioning for the takeover because of increased traffic loads resulting from the completion of Interstate 29s third interchange, Exit 130, with Brookings. Projections show even heavier traffic in the years ahead as Brookings and the surrounding area continue to add new residents and economic growth.
I think this is a good step. We need to move forward on this, and if we need to add some money to it to improve the road, I think thats well worth it, Krogman added.
Money is certainly a big part of the equation, especially once upgrade plans from gravel to pavement including possibly wider shoulders and a shared-use path for nonmotorized vehicles become, well, more concrete. In the immediate future, though, projected costs will be smaller, around $99,000, instead of the millions or tens of millions of dollars that will be necessary for a truly safer, paved road.
The smaller figure, $99,076 to be precise, comes from potential county plans for an initial 4-inch lift of gravel. Without it, normal maintenance costs on that 2.5-mile stretch of 214th Street normally run a little bit more than $28,000, on average, each year.
Again, though, before this can occur, the state DOT needs to approve the proposed change in jurisdiction, and a green light from commissioners is also required for the gravel lift.
Commissioner Larry Jensen noted that Brookings County currently has roughly 400 miles of roads under its jurisdiction of that total, approximately 260 miles are paved while the remaining 140 are gravel.
He said that if 214th Street is added to the county network, it will be as a gravel road and maintained as a gravel road, at least in the immediate future. He added that new speed limits would also be possible, along with improved dust control and perhaps some improvements to road structures.
Jensen pointed out that proposed paving plans is a process that likely wont move at hare-like speeds. It may take a few years, but we intend, if we do take it over, to make it as safe as possible for the traveling public, he said.
Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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