There are many factors that go in to making that decision. Typically, local and collector streets are built with asphalt. Asphalt is a cost effective way of providing pavement on lower traffic volume streets. Higher volume streets can be designed with asphalt or concrete. City officials make that decision based on a number of factors. Some of those factors include projected traffic volumes, future street expansion, initial costs, and future maintenance costs and needs.

Call the Engineering Division of Public Works at 367-8601. They will be able to answer most of your questions or be able to direct your call to the proper agency such as the South Dakota Department of Transportation or the Streets Division of Public Works.

No. The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) maintains the federal Interstate System including I-29, I-90, and I-229 along with the ramps associated with each interchange.

Many times, the nature of the street project requires that all the curb and gutter be totally removed. This makes matching the existing approach impractical. In these cases the cost for the new approach are paid for by the project. In some cases, the property owner uses an adjoining street project as an opportunity to coordinate the replacement of their approach. In this case, the property owner pays for the new approach and must contract for the work privately.

After the decision has been made during the initial planning process that a street needs to be widened to accommodate current and future traffic numbers, the City always makes contact with property owners to discuss the future project. The City solicits input from those affected by the project and also from the general public as to some of the overall design issues that could affect adjacent properties. After the input has been received, the City begins some preliminary design to determine impacts to individual properties.

At some point after the design is well underway, it can be established what the amount of property is needed from the owner. Independent land appraisers make appraisals of the property. Many factors are considered by the appraisers in determining the value of the property needed for the street project. After the appraisals are done and property value established, offers are made to the property owner and negotiations begin.

Typically, the City only asks for enough property to adequately build the street section. Additional temporary easements are usually needed to blend the private property to the new street project. Very seldom does a project get so extensive that the property owner has to move. There are legal procedures that must be followed during the property negotiations and the City cannot simply just “take” someone’s property. If the negotiations for the property cannot come to a compromise that satisfy the property owner and the City can legally commit to, the City has the right to “condemn” the property for public use. This means that a judge and/or jury determine the value of the property before or occasionally after the project. Condemnation is not the path the City usually wants to take but occasionally becomes necessary in order to build projects for the good of the public.

They are most likely performing a joint repair on the concrete roadway. As concrete ages, the joints have gone through a lot of stresses from the number of vehicles that have passed over them. Extreme temperature differences that we experience in this part of the country cause the concrete pavement to expand and contract. The combination of weather and traffic causes the joints to deteriorate. By cutting out some of the poor performing joints and replacing the concrete, the pavement can have its life expectancy extended. This is a normal maintenance activity that can improve the ride and extend the pavement life so total replacement of the pavement can be delayed, stretching the tax dollar as far as possible.

Most concrete streets in the city are designed for a life expectancy of 30-40+ years. There are streets in use today that have far exceeded that life expectancy. Others have not performed to expectations and may need additional repairs during its lifetime. But as a whole, city concrete pavements have performed as expected.

Unfortunately, we live in an area where the construction season is relatively short. With the growth of the city and the demands put on our infrastructure, the need to aggressively pursue these projects is critical. Sioux Falls is blessed with relatively good streets and the citizens and taxpayers have made a commitment to keeping these streets in good condition. Much of the street work is financed by the citizen approved second penny sales tax. Although construction can be painful at times, the city tries and plans around minimizing the impacts to businesses, residents, and the traveling public.

There are essentially two ways of accomplishing this. One option is to petition for the improvements. You must have at least 50% of the frontage ownership sign the petition in order for the petition to be considered valid. If the City Council approves the project, the project can proceed. A second option is do the street privately and agree to share the costs amongst the property owners. All owners must agree to the project and costs, including engineering and having plans approved by the city.

Typically, adjacent property owners are responsible for costs associated for constructing local and collector streets. Arterial streets are funded by platting fees and sales tax and are not assessed solely to adjacent property owners.

Typically, not often in the first 15-20 years of the life of the pavement. After that it just depends on that segment’s performance. For whatever reasons, some pavements perform better than others and may not require any repairs as soon as other pavements. One or more joint repairs should be planned in the expected life of a concrete segment.

All local streets are initially built and paid for by the landowner/developer. The developer may choose to utilize concrete streets in their development at their expense. Whether asphalt or concrete is selected for the development, minimum standards must always be met.

There are approximately 770 miles of streets maintained by the City. Approximately 660 of those miles are paved with asphalt, approximately 100 of those miles paved with concrete, and 10 miles of unpaved streets. The number of miles grows every year at about 14 miles per year on average.

Yes, but be patient. Curb and gutter repairs are typically done in conjunction with either the overlay program or another street/utility project in the neighborhood. It is the most efficient and cost effective way of getting curbs repaired. So as your neighborhood becomes a candidate for an overlay or other significant project, the curb and gutter will be repaired or possibly replaced.

These are normal maintenance activities that are done on a periodic basis. The City of Sioux Falls and its taxpayers have made an enormous investment on its streets and these are methods of making those streets last as long as possible. As asphalt ages it becomes more brittle and tends to crack. By “chip sealing” or milling and “overlaying” the street, this seals the pavement, preventing water from going in to the pavement cracks and even below the pavement. Water causes soft grades and it also causes damage to the pavement when it freezes in those cracks.

The decision whether to chip seal vs. overlaying is based generally on the condition and age of the surface. If there are too many deficiencies in the pavement then a chip seal is no longer effective and an overlay or surface replacement is necessary.

The adjoining property owners can petition for these improvements. If there is enough support and the project is approved by the City Council, the project can proceed. However, the costs for such a project are paid for by the adjoining properties. The costs include all the construction and engineering costs associated with the project.

Any number of things can cause a pothole but water is typically the culprit. When water penetrates the pavement through cracks and deformities in the asphalt, it can leave sub-grades soft and weak. In the spring of the year, many freeze/thaw cycles are taking place and the water left in the cracks of the pavement and the sub-grade expand after freezing. This freezing water causes damage to the cold and brittle pavements that exist in the spring.

You may call the Streets Division of Public Works at 367-8255. If you wish to report a problem online, use the link provided. The problem will be investigated and addressed by the Streets Division.

The standard location for sidewalk is 2’from the property line on the public right-of-way side of that line. That typically leaves a boulevard between the sidewalk and the curb. However, sometimes the amount of public right-of-way that is available just simply is not enough to have the space for the boulevard. This happens sometimes on arterial streets when it is widened. The impact to the property and the need for additional right-of-way makes having the standard boulevard area impractical. This is never the City’s first choice during design but sometimes is necessary to “fit” the new street in. If the sidewalk is placed behind the curb it is usually 1 or 2 feet wider to provide additional space for safety for the pedestrian.

Not unless it is built for the intended reason of facilitating drainage. Speeding on streets is an enforcement issue and placing artificial speed reducers has not proven to be an effective means of reducing overall vehicular speeds. Drivers tend to try and make up for their “lost time” and increase their speeds after going past the facility. The constant deceleration and acceleration of vehicles can be a negative impact to the area also.

The Street/Utility Maintenance Department is not responsible for new street construction, or major street projects. Those aspects are the responsiblility or the Public Works Engineering Department. To find information on Street Construction, please use the link provided.

No. The approach is considered to be the responsibility of the property owner just as the sidewalk is the property owner’s responsibility. The gutter pan in front of the approach is considered to be a part of the approach. If the gutter pan needs replacement with the approach, it is the property owner’s responsibility to do so.