South Dakota's first diverging diamond interchange is now open to drivers in Rapid City.
Officials opened the interchange on Lacrosse Street at the I-90 exit in a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday. The event brought representatives from Washington D.C. and the state government to celebrate its completion.
While the signs and change of traffic direction may be intimidating to drivers, officials say going slow and following signs will gradually make the interchange just like any other around town.
Secretary of transportation Joel Jundt said this project should alleviate local congestion.
“Some of the issues we were seeing was traffic congestion, especially during peak hours and the holiday season," Jundt said. "If you drove this many times – I actually used to live over here when I was going to college – as the traffic continues to increase on Lacrosse Street, we had issues with the left turner lane that continued to block traffic and not let those through-traffic get through.”
This is the first interchange of its type in the state, officials said. But more are on the way – including several in Sioux Falls.
Elevate Rapid City public policy director Garth Wadsworth said the hardest part is getting people on board.
“We said, ‘this is a no-brainer, it’s going to make everyone safer.' The audience was not convinced – they said ‘hey, I don’t know what this is, I don’t know what it looks like, I don’t know how to use it," Wadsworth said. "We say, ‘you don’t understand, the flow of traffic will be better for everyone,’ and they say ‘sure, but only if we know how to use it.’ That’s where we come in, all of us. We need to come together to make sure everyone is comfortable with new investments in infrastructure.”
In attendance was South Dakota Sen. John Thune. He said forward-looking infrastructure projects like these keep South Dakota in the race.
“I developed a passion for these issues when I was state rail director under Gov. Mickelson," Thune said. "All modes of transportation – aviation, rail, highways – all critically important to our state. When I was growing up down the road in Murdo, you lived or died in those smaller communities on the interstate based on the number of people you could accommodate coming through there.”
The new interchange is now open to vehicles with no road workers or guides on the site.