Highway 17 is now open from Boynton Ave. to Highway 44. The South Dakota Department of Transportation began the $3.5 million project to reconstruct Highway 17 through Lennox in April. Last week the contractor began paving, and this week was scheduled to apply sealant over the new pavement.
Mike Border, Project Engineer said there will be lane closures during this final clean-up work. The sealing is a light oil sprayed on top, followed by sand. He said this process helps to seal the asphalt.
Also yet to be done is pavement striping and roadway lighting, which will also cause some road closures. The miscellaneous clean up work like top soil and seeding may take place after the Oct. 1 completion date but will not likely cause traveler delays.
Coordination between the BNSF Railroad Company and DOT to make improvements on the railroad crossing is on-going. There has been some delay in getting materials from the railroad. Border explained, “They do their own work, and are behind our schedule.”
BNSF is expected to put in a new crossing and signals, at that point the DOT will come back and finish paving, curb and gutter and sidewalk near that area.
Border offered his thanks to the citizens of Lennox and travelers of Highway 17 for their patience during the project.
He said, “By closing the intersection at Boynton and paving through, we ended up with a better product — thank you for your patience during that, it helped with the over all project.”