Construction open house coming up in Brookings

BROOKINGS With Mother Nature about to turn the calendar on another mild winter, its time to prepare for South Dakotas second season constructionseason.

To help the community prepare, the city of Brookings and Brookings Municipal Utilities will host an informational open house on April 9 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on the third floor of the Brookings City & County Government Center at 520 Third St. During that time, people are welcome to come and go as their schedules allow.

At the open house, each project will have a station with detailed maps that highlight detours, timelines and other impacts, such as potential water service interruptions and yard disruptions. Representatives will be present to explain the projects and answer questions. Handouts for each project also will be available.

No significant impacts to traffic are anticipated.

For the third consecutive year, the public will be able to stay up to date on theconstructionprojects online athttps://brookingscommunityconstruction.info. Also on the website, individuals can sign up to receive email notifications of project updates.

The mild winter weve experienced allows some contractors to get an early start on projects, said City Public Works Director John Thompson. We want to share this information with the public now to allow them time to ask questions and prepare for any temporary road closures and detours.

The city and BMU are again collaborating on the planned infrastructure and roadway projects.

This ongoing cooperative effort helps to not only reduce the number of times roads need to be closed in the future, but more importantly, it saves taxpayer dollars by combining BMUs underground work and the citys road work into jointly bid projects, Thompson said.

Mayor Oepke Ope Niemeyer said he appreciates the teamwork that has gone into planning and communicating about the projects.

These infrastructure projects are important for the well-being of our community, he said. They support economic growth, ensure long-term sustainability, and enhance our quality of life. I ask people to be mindful of that during this constructionseason.

This years primaryconstructionprojects are:

• 12^th Street South and Main Avenue South intersection: This project entails replacement of existing traffic signals and sidewalk ramps to be ADA compliant. Lane closures might be needed, but full closures of the intersection are not anticipated.
• 17^th Avenue South mill and overlay:This project consists of milling and overlaying 17^th Avenue South starting at EighthStreet South and ending at 20^thStreet South. In addition to the mill and overlay, several ADA ramps and curb areas will be replaced. Partial closure of intersections along the route may be necessary duringconstructionand some driveways may be closed during the curb repairs.
• BMU watermain project phase 5: BMU is installing new 16-inch raw and treated water mains from the U.S. Highway 14 Bypass to the north wellfield. The project will connect the North Wellfield to the new water treatment plant on 34^thAvenue. This will enhance water service reliability for homes and businesses located north of the bypass. Some possible short-term closures of 32^ndAvenue north of the bypass may occur.