Public invited to construction season open house in Brookings

City of Brookings

BROOKINGS — Spring has officially sprung, signaling construction season will soon begin.

To help the community prepare, the city of Brookings and Brookings Municipal Utilities will host an informational open house on March 25 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on the third floor of the Brookings City & County Government Center at 520 Third St. During the 90 minutes, 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.

For the fourth consecutive year, the public will be able to stay up to date on the construction projects online at https://brookingscommunityconstruction.info. Also on the website, individuals can sign up to receive email notifications of project updates.

“Another mild winter in Brookings will allow some contractors to get an early start on projects,” City Public Works Director John Thompson said. “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 BMU’s underground work and the city’s road work into jointly bid projects,” Thompson said.

This year’s primary construction projects are:

• 20th Street South and 22nd Avenue South intersection expansion: This project consists of increasing the turning radii of the northeast and southeast quadrants of the intersection. Recreational trail modifications, traffic signal and control modifications, and private utility relocation will also be completed. The project is using unanticipated remaining funds from the Interstate 29 Exit 130 Interchange project to improve the east side of the intersection to better accommodate truck traffic.  
• Asphalt maintenance projects: Various streets throughout the city will be resurfaced. This project also will include work on select sidewalk ramps and sidewalks. BMU will replace sanitary sewer and water distribution utilities on portions of the project, including 11^th Avenue.
• BMU watermain project – phase 6: BMU is installing new 16-inch raw and treated water mains to improve system reliability and capacity along the U.S. Highway 14 Bypass corridor. The project spans from Jackrabbit Avenue to 25^th Avenue and from 22^nd Avenue to Research Parkway.