HURON — The construction project that will transform Dakota Avenue throughout the city of Huron south of Highway 14 will see many decisions made over the next six weeks.

That is the message that S.D. Dept. of Transportation engineer Brad Letcher shared with approximately three dozen people who attended a morning “Coffee Chat” at the Huron Public Library.

Letcher laid out the framework for the project that will eventually see Dakota Avenue - S.D. Highway 37 - completely rebuilt in Huron, incorporating city water and sewer projects in addition to city streetscape plans in the downtown area.

“We will hold a bid opening March 20 at 10 a.m. and those bids will be forwarded to the transportation board,” Letcher told the group. “Sometime in mid-to-late April, we will schedule a public meeting and at that time we will know who the contractor for the project is. That contractor will be introduced and will have a schedule for construction.”

Letcher said that the next step involves construction from 3rd Street North (the intersection on the south side of Carlson’s) through the city to 9th Street. The project is divided into three phases — from 3rd Street N to Market Street; from Market to 5th Street and from 5th to 9th.

“The middle phase of the project - from Market to 5th - will be completed this year,” Letcher said. “That is mandatory for whomever the contractor turns out to be. They may chose to work in whatever order they wish, but Market to Fifth must be done.”

Letcher said that to encourage a shorter construction period for the downtown area, the contractor will be on a ‘block rental’ system. “Basically, the contractor is charged daily for each day they are working in a specific block,” Letcher said. “It encourages them first of all not to have a large stretch torn up and to complete work quickly.”

He noted that the city is doing water line and sewer work that will be coordinated as well, along with the colored concrete for the cityscape upgrades that are planned.

When work is taking place in the downtown area, traffic will be detoured on Kansas Ave., which was resurfaced last year in preparation.

Phases 1 and 3 of the project may also be completed this year, according to Letcher, but will not be under the same block rental process. The north Phase 1 will be completed in halves, first one side, then the other, with detour signs during the brief period when the railroad crossing will be changed.

Phase 3 - from 5th to 9th - will be closed and done in one shot. Letcher said that while the city didn’t have sewer work planned for Phase 3, if an individual property owner is considering sewer line replacement on their property, it would likely be less expensive to work with the contractor and do it as part of the project, rather than wait and then need to pay to have the new concrete torn up, “which is really expensive,” he said, in response to a homeowner’s question.

Phases 1 and three will look much the same after completion, however the Phase 2 downtown area will see a marked difference, changing from two lanes going each direction, into one lane each direction with a dedicated turning lane. The change will eliminate being caught behind a vehicle making a left-hand turn and will improve sight lines and safety, Letcher said.

In addition, while parallel parking will be retained, the parking area will be made wider, he said, making it safer to exit vehicles after parking.

“After we have the public meeting, the contractor will have a schedule figured out and work will begin,” Letcher said. “To stay up to date on what is taking place, we are offering a free text service,” he added.

For updates on traffic changes on the Dakota Avenue project users may text HURON37 to 605-566-4041.