Tonight the Pierre City Commission awarded a $1.4 million contract to Morris Inc. to upgrade a large stretch of Highland Ave. and its underground utilities.
Highland Ave., between Wynoka Ave. and Second St., as well as the one block of Second St. that connects Highland and Euclid Avenues, will be rebuilt curb-to-curb. At the same time, the 70-year-old water line that runs under Highland will be replaced. The project is expected to be complete this fall.
The Highland Ave. project is scheduled in front another a state highway project that’s on the horizon.
“We anticipate Highland will pick up an increased traffic load when the state begins to rebuild Euclid Ave.,” said John Childs, City Engineer. “The Highland infrastructure is aging and will need this boost to handle the increase in traffic.”
Childs also says that when major street construction is planned underground utilities in the construction zone are reviewed.
“If a street is cut open, we’ll take the opportunity to replace underground lines if appropriate.”
The new water line under Highland is expected to have a useful life of about 70 years.
Each year, city staff analyze street, utility, and other infrastructure conditions to prioritize and schedule street and utility projects.