Reede Construction Widens Highway 18 to Prepare Southeast South Dakota for Rising Traffic Levels - Western Builder

South Dakota has multiple famous scenic wonders, including the Badlands, the Black Hills, and Mount Rushmore. The land in the state is also suitable for farming, which is South Dakota's largest industry. Transporting the corn, wheat, rye, etc., that are grown in the state requires sufficient well-kept roads. To enhance roadway connectivity in the state and beyond, the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) is approaching the conclusion of a project to widen U.S. Highway 18.

U.S. Highway 18 runs east to west from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to eastern Wyoming and travels through southern South Dakota. The 8-mile stretch of highway the team is widening is in southeast South Dakota, just west of Canton. The western terminus of the project is Interstate 29. The north-south highway goes from the Canada-North Dakota border to Kansas City, Missouri.

The two-lane U.S. Highway 18 becomes very busy with heavy truck traffic and large equipment during the farming season. The average daily traffic (ADT) for 2018 exceeded 4,500, and over 13 percent of that number includes trucks. The ADT is expected to reach over 12,000 by the year 2050.

The traffic growth is partially attributable to the expected population increase in Canton. Many in the rapidly growing community use U.S. Highway 18 to commute to work in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (about 35 miles north).

"The existing two-lane highway was deteriorating beyond repair and needed to be replaced," said Spencer Thompson, SDDOT Transportation Project Manager.

Read the full story here: Reede Construction Widens Highway 18 to Prepare Southeast South Dakota for Rising Traffic Levels - Western Builder