City, BMU invite public to construction open house on Thursday, April 11
April 8, 2024
Monday, April 8, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City, BMU invite public to construction open house on Thursday, April 11
BROOKINGS, SD – After a mild winter, it’s time to prepare for South Dakota’s second season – construction season.
To help the community prepare, the City of Brookings (City) and Brookings Municipal Utilities (BMU) will host an informational open house on Thursday, April 11, from 4:30 to 6:00 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.
Infrastructure and roadway improvements will significantly impact 22nd Avenue near the Research Park, University Boulevard on campus, and 34th Avenue South near the Dacotah Bank Center.
For the second 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.
“In South Dakota, there is very little time between winter and construction season,” said City Public Works Director John Thompson. “We want to do our best to share this information with the public now to allow them time to ask questions and prepare for road closures and detours. Because of our mild winter, some projects may start earlier than expected.”
Thompson said the City and BMU are once again taking a collaborative approach to the upcoming infrastructure and roadway projects. “This ongoing collaborative effort helps to not only reduce the number of times these 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.”
Mayor Oepke “Ope” Niemeyer said he appreciates the teamwork that has gone into planning and communicating about the projects. “These infrastructure projects are for the betterment of our community,” he said. “It’s progress, and I ask people to be mindful of that during this construction season.”
This year’s primary construction projects are:
- 22nd Avenue and University Boulevard: Replacement of sanitary sewer and roadway improvements will continue this year along University Boulevard (on the South Dakota State University campus) east to 22nd Avenue and then north to Miller Parkway (Research Park entrance).
- BMU Sanitary Sewer Replacement on Western Avenue South: Replacement of the concrete sanitary sewer under Western Avenue South. Construction will begin at the intersection of Western Avenue South and 44th Street South. It will proceed north to Hawaii Drive. Once that segment is done, additional construction will continue west of Western Avenue South.
- BMU Raw and Treated Water Pipelines:
- 34th Avenue South just south of Sixth Street to Highway 14 Bypass: BMU is installing a new watermain and upsizing the existing sanitary sewer main on 34th Avenue. Construction is from just south of Sixth Street northward to the Highway 14 Bypass.
- 20th Street South from 22nd Avenue South to Main Avenue South water tower: Due to delays during the 2023 construction season, some finishing tasks will be completed this year. Full road closures are not anticipated, but lane closures will occur during the asphalt mill and overlay work. Additional work will include ADA curb ramp upgrades, pavement markings and sprinkler repair. The work was needed to accommodate installation of a 20-inch transmission watermain and sanitary sewer improvements.
SIDEBAR/BREAKOUT BOX INFORMATION:
WHAT: Brookings 2024 Construction Projects Public Open House
WHEN: Thursday, April 11, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. (Come and go as your schedule allows.)
WHERE: Brookings City & County Government Center, 520 Third St., Third Floor
WHY: Learn how upcoming construction projects will impact you.
HOSTS: City of Brookings and Brookings Municipal Utilities (BMU)
MORE INFO: Visit https://brookingscommunityconstruction.info
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For media inquiries and information regarding the information contained within this press release, please contact Sherry Fuller Bordewyk, Public Information Officer for the City of Brookings, at (605) 697-8645 or sbordewyk@cityofbrookings-sd.gov.