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Oct. 23, 2026 ยท 8 min read

The viaducts are getting replaced. Here's who's deciding, and how to weigh in.

The 10th and 11th Street viaducts will be rebuilt in the next decade. Here's what's on the table, who's at the table, and how to have your say before comments close Nov. 10.

If you've driven into downtown from the east, you've crossed them. The 10th and 11th Street viaducts are the long bridges that carry traffic over the Big Sioux River and the railroad tracks, between 2nd Avenue and Franklin Avenue.

Most of us don't think about them. But they're going to be torn down and rebuilt in the next 10 years, and what replaces them will shape that whole side of downtown for the rest of our lives.

The planning is happening now. The next public open house is Tuesday, and comments close Nov. 10. Here's what you need to know, in plain words.

Why they're being replaced

These bridges are old. The 10th Street viaduct was built in 1930, and its bridge over the river in 1934. The 11th Street viaduct went up in 1971. At about 1,578 feet, it's the longest of the three.

The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) says they're near the end of their life and getting more expensive to keep up. Replacement of 10th Street is tentatively set to start in 2032. 11th Street would follow in 2036.

Who's deciding

This is the part that confused me at first. A lot of groups are talking about the viaducts. Only one process makes the call.

Diagram of who is involved in the 10th and 11th Street viaduct replacement: the official study team, and the groups weighing in from the outside

The official study is a Major Investment Study led by SDDOT. It's the one that will recommend what gets built.

  • SDDOT runs the study and pays for the new bridges.
  • The City of Sioux Falls has owned the viaducts since 2006 and will own the new ones. It will also handle changes to the streets that connect to them.
  • SECOG and the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Planning Organization plan transportation for the whole metro area.
  • The Federal Highway Administration has to sign off on the environmental review.
  • HDR, an engineering firm, is the consultant doing the work.

Other groups are weighing in from the outside. They don't decide, but they're paying close attention.

  • Downtown Sioux Falls Inc. ran a month-long traffic calming pilot on 10th Street this summer, from the viaduct to Mall Avenue, with planters and narrower lanes. It wants the new design to slow traffic and make room for people on foot. Its CEO called the project a "once-in-a-generation opportunity."
  • AARP South Dakota and Smart Growth America invited neighbors to walk the viaduct area on Oct. 21 and note what works, and what doesn't, for people on foot.
  • The Riverline District effort, backed by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and other partners, is planning for the area east of downtown along 10th Street. Its own FAQ calls rebuilding the viaduct an important part of that vision.

That's why it can feel scattered. Several groups are pulling in a similar direction, on separate tracks. If you want your voice in the decision, the study is where it counts.

What's already decided

Some things are off the table, and it helps to know that before you comment.

The one-way streets and the lanes stay. The City's 2024 Downtown Traffic Impact Study found that 10th and 11th need to keep three lanes in each direction and stay a one-way pair. Cutting lanes, it found, would push traffic onto streets like Falls Park Drive, 6th, 8th and 14th.

Every option includes:

  • Lower bridges, as low as they can feasibly go
  • A right turn lane on 10th Street at Reid Street
  • An added through lane on 11th Street at Franklin Avenue
  • Better connections to the river trails on both sides
  • Closing access to 3rd Street from 2nd Avenue, for safety

This is where the big tension lives. Downtown advocates want slower, calmer streets. The traffic study says the lanes have to stay. The options try to slow drivers in other ways, like curves designed for 30 mph.

The options, in plain words

SDDOT calls these three options. The second one comes in two versions. For each, you'll see the study's own rendering, looking southeast from above Fawick Park, and a simplified plan I drew from the study's map over real street and river data. On the plan, north is up, and a red wedge shows where the rendering is looking. Both use the same labels.

Option 1: 10th Street shifts south, and 11th stays where it is. Sidewalks on both sides of both streets, and a pedestrian bridge between them.

Option 1: a labeled rendering looking southeast from above Fawick Park, with the pedestrian bridge, and a simplified plan showing 10th Street shifted south and 11th Street on its current path, both labeled

Option 2A: 10th stays, and 11th shifts north next to it, with curves designed for 30 mph. Sidewalks on both sides across the river, and a pedestrian bridge south of 11th.

Option 2A: a labeled rendering looking southeast from above Fawick Park, with the pedestrian bridge, and a simplified plan showing 11th Street shifted north next to 10th Street

Option 2B: the same as 2A, but Reid Street shifts east. A sidewalk on one side of each street, and a pedestrian bridge between them.

Option 2B: a labeled rendering looking southeast from above Fawick Park, with the pedestrian bridge, and a simplified plan showing 11th Street next to 10th Street with Reid Street shifted east

Option 3: both streets move toward each other as quickly as possible after the river, also with 30 mph curves. A sidewalk on one side of each street, and a pedestrian bridge south of 11th.

Option 3: a labeled rendering looking southeast from above Fawick Park, with the pedestrian bridge, and a simplified plan showing both streets brought together right after the river

Renderings from the SDDOT 10th and 11th Street Viaduct Study, Open House #3. Plans drawn by Rising Together from the study's official maps, over U.S. Census Bureau map data. They're approximate, not to exact scale. For the official plans, with every detail, see the Open House #3 boards on the study website. These are concepts, and the designs will change.

A few details worth knowing. Options 1, 2A and 2B keep an underpass east of Reid Street. Option 3 removes it, along with the 11th Street connection from Fawick Park. Bridge looks and bike and pedestrian details will be worked out in the next phase.

What's at stake beyond traffic

Parks. Every option could affect Fawick Park, the bike trail loop, Beadle Greenway Park, and Drake Springs Park and Pool. Federal law protects them, so the study has to avoid or limit those impacts, and replace parkland if any is lost.

History. A historic district sits in the project area, and nearby buildings get a federal historic review.

Flooding. An Army Corps of Engineers floodwall runs next to 10th Street, and there are strict limits on building in the river's floodway.

Construction. The detour plan isn't set. Ideas include keeping one lane open each way on one bridge, or sending traffic to 8th, 14th or 26th Street.

How to weigh in

At the first two rounds of meetings, people asked for slower traffic, safer biking and walking, lower bridges through the parks, and keeping the green space. The study team says the options include those ideas "at varying degrees." Now it wants to hear which ones work.

Go to the open house. Tuesday, Oct. 27, 5 to 6:30 p.m., at the Holiday Inn City Centre, 100 E. 8th St. A recorded presentation plays several times, so you can drop in anytime. There are maps to mark up and people from the study to talk to.

Comment online by Tuesday, Nov. 10. The boards, option maps and a short video are all on the study website. You can comment there, or mail comments to HDR, Attn: 10th and 11th Streets Viaduct Study, 101 S. Phillips Ave., Suite 401, Sioux Falls, SD 57104.

Not sure what to say? Try one of these:

  • Which option would you feel safest walking or biking across?
  • How should the new bridges connect to the river trails and parks?
  • What should getting around downtown look like during years of construction?

Questions? The City's project manager is Andy Berg, 605-367-8601. SDDOT's contact is Katrina Burckhard, 605-773-6641.

After this round, the team writes its study report, then a full environmental assessment with another public meeting. But the shape of the bridges is being set now.

What I'll be watching

I'll be looking at how each option treats people on foot. A bridge you can comfortably walk across ties downtown to the east side. A bridge you'd rather not walk across keeps them apart. You may care most about something else, like traffic, the parks or construction. Either way, now's the time to say it.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime build for that side of downtown. It's always been our city, and now is our moment. Let's rise together.

Sources

Vince DanhCommunity builder, storyteller, and Sioux Falls' unofficial hype man.

Have a tip or a story idea? Email issues@risingtogethersf.com.

Let's rise together