Rapid City Journal from Rapid City, South Dakota • 19

Kapid ury important Point un interstate By ED NICIEJEWSKI Journal Staff Writer As a hay camp during its early years, Rapid City was an impor tant stop for travellers coming from the east or departing from the west. With construction of the new Interstate "super highway" in the near future, Rapid City will become an important gasoline and lodging stop for travellers on U.S. Highway 90 between Seattle, Wash, and Boston, Mass. Impact of the interstate high way on communities it passes is expected to be great, both from southbound lanes for the four-lane system. Interstate construction from this point north to Sturgis has not been programmed.

The interstate system will make a high-speed controlled access highway across South Dakota, equivalent to toll roads in the east. Designation is U. S. 90, part of the interstate route from Bos-tont Mass. to Seattle, Wash.

(Journal Photo). FIRST CONSTRUCTION ol trunk interstate highway in South Dakota started in the spring of 1957 on U. S. 14-79 north of Rapid City. Workmen pour and cover concrete as machinery moves slowly south toward Tilford three miles away.

mile stretch of interstate highway is of limited access type, rather than controlled access featured in later construction. At the right is old U. S. 14-79 which was retained to make long and short range economic viewpoints. From the short range outlook, construction of the highway is expected to furnish employment for thousands.

From the long range viewpoint it will continue to implement influx of tourists and bolster one of Rapid City's most impor tant economic factors. To be built, along principles of eastern toll roads, the interstate system will be a 70-mile-an-hour freeway, cutting at, least a day's travel time between the east- and west coast. Increased speed limits and increased safety is possible by special construction features. These include no city driving, no crossroads and one way traffic made possible by divided four-lane highways. "Interchanges" points at which traffic can enter the superhighway will become a common word in South Dakota.

Major interchanges consist of cloverleaf patterns that permit cars entering the interstate highway to merge with rather than oppose existing traffic. Cily Plans Connecting Links For Interstate Partial accesses to the lriter Highways lead to highways. Not only literally, but from the state highway at LaCrosse St. and standpoint of construction. priority Highway 79 between Rapid City and Falrburn.

Not on Um 1958-59 program. Federal cooperation to blacktop Rimrock highway betweea Rapid City and U.S. 85A. Estimated completion in 1959 with In the case of Rapid City an Halley Airport west through a gap near the Izaak Walton clubhouse to connect at Black Hawk. interstate route planned just north of present city limits has led to considerable thought and action on streets, roads and highways in vicinity of the city.

Recent activity for highway programming and construction includes: Widening of South Eighth St. from Kansas City St. south to city limits, estimated cost $800,000, planned for 1058 fall contract letting. East of Rapid City a lane will part as a blotter coat. Nnt all of the highways listed above necessarily spring from interstate planning.

But the heavy traffic generated by the, nation's superhighway through South Dakota played a large part in plan Maple Ave. Widening of U.S. 1C south nine miles from Rapid City to Spring Creek, planned for letting before fall, 1958. Eighteen miles of interstate highway between New Underwood and Wasta, programmed in 1958-59 but held up temporarily in view of objections at a Rapid City hearing. Completion of a Piedmont-Til-ford link of interstate this year.

Construction, now underway, of West Omaha an arterial street through Rapid City. Cost $566,000. Eventual completion of high There will be three major Interchanges in the interstate link north of Rapid City: at the Starlite Theatre, at West Boulevard, North and at Black Hawk. In addition there will be lesser accesses permitting access to either west or east traffic at LaCrosse and Maple in northeast Rapid City. Approved route of the interstate system is across the north end of be added north of the present four-lane highway east to Ellsworth Air Force Base.

The north lane of U.S. 14-16 will become a part of the interstate system. The south lane will become a service road. Farther -east, the Interstate highway will go north of New Underwood and Wicksville, rejoining U.S. 14-16 near Wasta.

ning of others, particularly a four lane road leading to Mount A West Boulevard North bypass leading to the highway, letting tentatively scheduled for April. High speed interchanges at Star-lite Theatre and Black Hawk. Eventually U.S. Highway 11 south from Rapid City will four lane to the Keystone junction. ROWING MARK VIWGO WITH FINE BUILDING MATERIALS DAKOTA LIME and BRICK CO.

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