Exit 30 set to open just in time for Sturgis rally surge

Off the Wire
Rally & Event News
STURGIS – Work on Exit 30 and the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 should be finished by Wednesday evening to accommodate motorcycle rally traffic, according to South Dakota Department of Transportation project engineer Brenda Flottmeyer.

That includes the re-opening of the existing off-ramp at Exit 30. A temporary off-ramp a half-mile farther west has been used, re-routing traffic onto Avalanche Road back into Sturgis.
For the westbound lanes to open, a few more details must be completed.
“We’re getting things finished up,” Flottmeyer said. “We’re putting up the guardrails and getting the pavement markings down.”
The exit was originally scheduled to re-open July 28 in order to accommodate increased traffic during the Sturgis motorcycle rally.
The official start of the rally is Monday, Aug. 9, but Sturgis traditionally sees an increase in traffic well before that. Flottmeyer said weather played a part in the delay.
“It’s just a lot of work,” she said. “A lot of things hinge on that bridge widening and can’t continue until it’s done.”

The westbound portion of the Exit 30 project began in March and will resume after the rally.

Incoming traffic will see a major difference after westbound traffic is routed back to its existing lanes.

“When we move traffic, everything will go back to the normal flow of traffic,” Flottmeyer said.

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