Sturgis takes a look at Junction Avenue corridor

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Junction Avenue can be a nightmare to navigate during the Sturgis Rally; and as the town grows, there could be new safety and efficiency concerns.

That’s why Sturgis and the state Department of Transportation are conducting a corridor study of part of the road, about 1.1 miles, beginning at Pineview Drive south of Interstate 90 and continuing north to Harmon Street near Monument Health Sturgis Hospital.

According to a release from the City of Sturgis, a major problem in this area is that intersections don’t line up, leading to awkward turning patterns. Also, there are no controlled traffic signals for access to neighborhoods and trails south of the interstate.

“They won’t just look at vehicular traffic. They will also look at pedestrian and bicycle traffic to ensure that people will be able to move from the north side of the community to the south side,” City Manager Daniel Ainslie said.

A public meeting is tentatively set for spring of 2023.

People can review the project fact sheet at https://www.sturgis-sd.gov/JunctionAvenueCorridorStudy. Comments can be sent to Brittney Ragels at bragels@sturgisgov.com (mailing address: 1040 Harley-Davidson Way, Sturgis, SD 57785) or online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JunctionAvenue.

The study began in August and is expected to take a year to complete.