By Dan Bechtold
Editor
Work has started on the second phase of the Highway 18 and 44 reconstruction project in Winner.
This year the focus is on Highway 44 from Plum Street to just past the sale barn road.
Reede Construction of Aberdeen is the prime contractor for this $20.9 million construction project.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation gave an update on the project at a meeting on June 14.
The state DOT and Reede Construction are holding weekly highway construction meetings each Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the city council chambers.
The meetings will be live streamed every other week. The public is invited to attend the meetings to learn about the progress of the project.
The milling of the asphalt off the current stretch of Highway 44 started June 21. This will last for about five days. There will be some traffic delays and there will be flaggers to guide the motorists through the work zone
Doug Sherman, area engineer for the DOT says the road will remain open but if there is a lot of rain it will have be closed.
A truck detour will be put in place that utilizes Highway 49 to Colome and Highway18 back to Winner.
The highway will be open to local truck traffic and delivery vehicles.
A 12 foot wide width restriction for trucks will be in place, just the same as Phase I last summer.
Work on Highway 44 will include a new concrete pavement which will be three lanes, curb and gutter, new sidewalks, lighting plus utility placement.
Though the focus this year is on Highway 44, the project also includes redoing Highway 18 from Van Buren Street to the west limits of Winner near the Country Club Motel. The Highway18 portion of the project may be in 2023 since this phase is so large.
Reede Construction has created a Facebook page so the public can follow the updates. Persons can search “Winner highway construction 2022-2023.”
In the construction zone, motorists are asked to be aware of suddenly slowing traffic, reduced speeds in the work zone and construction workers and equipment adjacent to the driving lanes.
Speak at Rotary
Sherman and Mike Flakus, project supervisor for Reede Construction, spoke at the Winner Rotary meeting on June 16. They explained the scope of the work on Highway 44.
Flakus is originally from Colome and after he retired from teaching and coaching in Aberdeen he joined Reede Construction. Flakus was the head football coach at Aberdeen Central for many years.
In addition to work on Highway 44, Sherman explained other construction work in Tripp County. Work is underway on Highway 49 from the junction of Highway 44 to Highway 47.
Also, work will start later this summer on Highway 53.
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