STURGIS, S.D. – The Sturgis City Council got an update from its engineer Monday on the 7th Street Crossing.
A flooding event in 2019 wiped out previous work on the crossing, and it has been closed since.
Several improvements have taken place along the creek to stabilize the creek banks and a consultant has been hired to conduct hydraulic studies to gather the data necessary to meet FEMA requirements for what’s called a “no rise” status.
The plan for the crossing is to use 3 concrete boxes to construct a low water crossing rather than a bridge. A low water crossing would still flood in a 100-year storm but would remain passable most of the time. Low water crossings usually have gates so the crossing could be closed in the event of flooding.
The city is now waiting to hear from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as to a possible mitigation grant to help cover the nearly $733,000 dollar cost. The grant would cover approximately 75-percent of that cost with the city picking up the rest.
