Transportation Alternatives (TA) Program Funding Awards Announced

For Immediate Release:  April 12, 2023

Contact:  Logan Gran, Active Transportation Engineer, 605‐773‐4912

PIERRE, S.D. – On Thursday, March 30, 2023, the South Dakota Transportation Commission (Commission) awarded $8 million in grants in 17 South Dakota communities, counties, and tribes as part of the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) Transportation Alternatives program (TA). TA applicants may include local governments, schools and school districts, tribal governments, natural resource and public lands agencies, non-profit agencies, or transit agencies. Funds may be used for planning, engineering, construction, and educational or encouragement activities. Funded projects require a minimum 18.05 percent match. In this TA award funding cycle, the 17 grant recipients will provide over $3.5 million in match.

Following are the Commission’s approved TA recipients, grant program description, and award amount:

1. City of Sioux Falls: An eight-foot shared use path 5,200 feet long located in the city of Sioux Falls along the south side of East 26th Street and crossing Veterans Parkway through an existing underpass. ($600,000)
2. City of Box Elder: A five-foot sidewalk 2,000 linear feet running south of Highway 1416 along South Ellsworth Road to one-half block north of Ruhe Lane; connecting the southern portion of the city's sidewalk network to the rest of the community. ($600,000)
3. City of Rapid City: A 10-foot shared-use path on the northside of the new Anamosa Street structure in Rapid City and a six-foot sidewalk on the southside of the new Anamosa Street structure. ($270,000)
4. City of Brandon: A five-foot sidewalk extension north through the exit 406 interchange on the east side of S.D. Highway 11 and a 10-foot shared use path extension through the exit 406 interchange on the west side in Brandon. ($600,000)
5. City of Sioux Falls: A 10-foot shared use path along the south side of Veterans Parkway and a box culvert serving as grade separated pedestrian crossing between Western Ave and Minnesota Ave. A new bridge over 85th Street will serve as a pedestrian crossing between Minnesota Avenue and Cliff Avenue. Sidewalks and shared use paths along the intersections at Western Avenue, Minnesota Avenue, and Cliff Avenue. ($600,000)
6. City of Sioux Falls: A five-foot sidewalk along Benson Road from Casco Avenue to North Potsdam Avenue and 4,500 feet east through the project, and a 10-foot shared use path along Benson Road through Interstate 229 interchange. ($600,000)
7. City of Brookings: An eight-foot shared use path 2,500 feet along 12th Street South from 17th Avenue South to 22nd Avenue with curb extension for mid-block crossing and installation of rectangular rapid flashing beacon. ($368,000)
8. City of Spearfish: A retaining wall at the Interstate 90 underpass (exit 8) and a 10-foot shared use path under the I-90 overpass north for approximately 715 feet where the path will then turn east and cross Old Belle Road at Butte Electric and proceed northeast and connect with Russell Street. ($600,000)
9. Yankton County: Restoration of three South Dakota historic transportation related structures and external signals in Yankton County: Great Northern Railroad Depot (1893), Milwaukee Speeder Car House (1890), and Burlington Northern Caboose (1970). ($78,085)
10. McCrory Gardens - Brookings: Storm water improvements and seven-foot shared use path 9,000 feet long in McCrory Gardens in Brookings. ($600,000)
11. City of Mitchell: Sidewalk extension on east side of S.D. Highway 37/North Main Street in Mitchell, from Fairoaks Avenue to 250th Street/National Guard Road approximately 1,600 feet and add shared use path on west side for the full project length (12,630 feet or 2.39 miles). ($600,000)
12. City of Dell Rapids: A 10-foot shared use path along 474th Avenue in Dell Rapids from West 7th Street to S.D. Highway 115 and along 474th Avenue from 15th Street to West 10th Street. ($600,000)
13. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe – Dupree: A six-foot sidewalk along B Street in Dupree from the Dupree School to the YMCA of Seven Council Fires. ($365,773)
14. City of Valley Springs: A six-foot sidewalk 1,000 feet long along Valley Drive in Valley Springs from Skyline Drive to Southside Street. ($286,825)
15. Oglala Sioux Tribe – Wanblee: A 10-foot shared use path 1.35 miles long in Wanblee along S.D. Highway 44 from 1st Street travelling southwest to Lakota Fund Housing. ($600,000)
16. City of Colton: A 10-foot shared use path 1,275 feet long in Colton along 4th Street from Dakota Avenue to Charles Avenue. ($600,000)
17. Napa to Platte Rails to Trails: A feasibility study and development of a master plan of the proposed rails to trails conversion on the Milwaukee Road line between Napa and Platte. ($204,875)  

The TA program encompasses a variety of non-motorized transportation projects such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, recreational trails, safe routes to school projects, community improvements such as historic preservation and vegetation management, and environmental mitigation related to storm water and habitat connectivity.

A full description of the TA program is available online on the South Dakota Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives webpage at https://dot.sd.gov/programs-services/programs/transportation-alternatives.

For more information about the TA program, contact Logan Gran, Active Transportation Engineer, at 605‐773‐4912 or by email at Logan.Gran@state.sd.us. About SDDOT: The mission of the South Dakota Department of Transportation is to efficiently provide a safe and effective public transportation system. Read more about the innovative work of the SDDOT at https://dot.sd.gov.  

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