Simplified: The Sioux Falls City Council on Tuesday authorized more than $12 million for phase two of a project reconstructing Minnesota Avenue. But before the vote, several councilors expressed concerns about medians, traffic flow and the lack of a comprehensive plan for the main thoroughfare.
Why it matters
- The city has already completed the first phase of Minnesota Avenue from Russell Avenue to Second Street, and the next phase would redo the street from Second to Eighth Street. The street reconstruction also allows the city to replace older water mains with new, larger ones to accommodate city growth.
- The big concern from councilors, though, was the median – particularly the aesthetics of the new median on North Minnesota Avenue. Councilor Curt Soehl called it, "trashy," and Councilor Vernon Brown said the architecture was "brutalistic."
- Public Works Director Mark Cotter told councilors the median in the next segment would be a shorter, curb-height median, and City Engineer Andy Berg said the goal is to have fewer "conflict movements," e.g. left turns, in traffic. But Soehl also expressed concerns about the use of the median at all – noting concerns that it could restrict access to businesses and create a "sterile strip of highway."
"I just think every time we approve a median down Minnesota Avenue, we’re closer to making the whole thing a median," Soehl said. "And honestly, I don't know if the business owners, especially south of 18th Street, understand what’s coming to them."
Tell me more about medians
Berg said the medians are already common on arterial streets on the edges of town, but because Minnesota Avenue is slightly more narrower, the medians are handled a little differently there.
The idea is that medians keep traffic flowing more smoothly by restricting "points of conflict," Berg said. Instead of having cars turning left at every individual driveway or business, drivers would have to make a U-turn at the light.
The hope is also that medians will keep traffic moving along more smoothly, Berg added.
"Anywhere we can focus the traffic onto the roads that should have the higher volumes of traffic and make the flows better, that's certainly a goal," he said.
What about the tall, 'brutalistic' ones?
Berg said the city is looking at converting the medians from the first phase of the project to look like the curb-height ones that'll be in phase two.
"Unfortunately most of the comments we’ve received have been a dislike of the way they look," Berg said of the median from Russell Street to Second Street.
Berg couldn't say what this aesthetic change would cost.
What happens next?
Councilors approved the bid this week, which means work can begin as soon as the weather is warm enough. Berg estimates the construction on the second phase of Minnesota Avenue will be completed later this year.
Soehl and Brown are also working to conduct a study on the economic impact of the Minnesota Avenue reconstruction, and Councilor Rich Merkouris requested the city look at putting together a comprehensive plan for the rest of Minnesota Avenue so it's less patchwork going forward.
