BROOKINGS – The Eastern Branch of the South Dakota Engineering Society of the American Society of Civil Engineers recognized South Dakota State University’s University Boulevard Improvements Project as recipient of the society’s 2018 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award. The project was honored at the society’s awards banquet Feb. 23 in Sioux Falls.
The roundabout was built to enhance the entryway into the university. It eliminated a very confusing corner with a modern method of handling a high volume of traffic.
The design was done so that traffic could keep moving without stopping. Improvements included the addition of a single-lane roundabout intersection to an area that experiences high volumes of traffic during campus events and hourly peaks that coincide with class schedules.
The design featured 10-foot wide sidewalks, pedestrian ramps, colored concrete accent curbing, decorative perimeter fencing and lighting. Additionally, a parking lot was designed and constructed located immediately adjacent to both Frost Arena and the Performing Arts Center, this lot provides convenient event parking for both venues. The landscaping design for the project area has been completed by South Dakota State University staff and is scheduled for installation in 2019.
“We felt it was a unique and innovative project that was worthy of being considered,” said Civil Design Inc.’s Jason Petersen, noting the project had a tight design and construction timeline, unique design constraints and connectivity with adjacent projects and complexities with pedestrian routing.
Construction of the project started after the spring 2018 semester, but busy construction schedules and weather events prevented significant progress on the project until the early part of June. Bowes Construction Inc., subcontractors, CDI and South Dakota State got the project open for traffic before move-in weekend, Aug. 18-19.
