State readies for Omaha Street reconstruction

A stretch of Omaha Street is due for reconstruction and the department in charge is getting a more than two-year head start on an approximately $11.8 million project.

The Department of Transportation and Rapid City's CETEC Engineering Services hosted an open house Monday on the project that will rebuild Omaha Street from 12th Street to Mountain View Road, starting in the fall of 2016.

The project also reconstructs Omaha Street from Mountain View Road west to Sheffer Street on West Chicago Street, which the DOT refers to as Highway 231.

Both roads are state highways, so the DOT is leading reconstruction efforts and will spend an estimated $10.3 million on the project.

The city, which has contracted Rapid City's Ferber Engineering, meanwhile, will spend around $1.5 million on work that coincides with the DOT project, including the installation of new water and sewer utilities, according to the engineering services department.

Federal funding will pay for around $8 million of the DOT's $10.3 total cost.

With around 35 residents in attendance Monday evening, project staff covered the scope of the work and its construction schedule. Additional meetings will start this spring over the acquisition of land in the area for needed public right-of-way.

"The project is in August of 2016," DOT Regional Operations Manager Tom Horan said before the meeting. "That's when it will go to construction so, absolutely, there will be more public meetings."

The project includes a widening of Omaha Street that will require up to 10 feet of additional public right-of-way, new curb, gutter, sidewalks, storm sewer improvements, lighting and signals.

"It will look more like Omaha to the east," Horan said.

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State readies for Omaha Street reconstruction