Codington County reviews five-year highway and bridge plan; adoption scheduled for Oct. 7

Codington County commissioners met Sept. 16, 2025, for a public meeting on the county's five-year highway and transportation plan and heard a presentation from Randy Falvey, Codington County highway superintendent. Falvey said the plan lists prioritized bridge and road projects and that some projects were moved later in the schedule because of bridge inspection results and grant-funding timing.

"This is just an open conversation about our 5 year plan for a bridge and road plan for the next 5 years. Nothing major has changed," Falvey said, explaining that the county's engineer partner, Banner, and First District help estimate bridge conditions and sequence work.

The discussion focused on a handful of projects shown on a map Falvey provided. He said work on the County Road 20-4 bridge was finished this year and that another nearby bridge on 170th Street was pushed back by about a year because of inspection and funding timing. Falvey also described planned work on County Road 7-5, and on County Road 11-4 (identified in the presentation as a haul road north of Water and also known locally as part of North 81). For heavily used haul routes, Falvey said the county is considering a 2-inch mill and overlay with localized filling of ruts.

Falvey said the Fourteenth Avenue north bridge is shown as a 2026 project and that work could start "potentially the middle of next month, weather permitting." He warned of traffic impacts during construction: traffic would be rerouted to Tenth Street, and truck traffic would be routed further south, which some commissioners said can create backups at the curve where Tenth Street meets Highway 20.

Falvey noted bridges are inspected on alternating two-year cycles and that wet weather or winter conditions can change priorities: "with the amount of moisture we've had this year and potentially what could come this winter, things could change." He also said some projects are moved as grant availability and application timing allows.

Commissioners asked for clarifications about sequencing and traffic management during construction. The board was told the map's yellow diamonds mark the soonest projects and the green diamonds mark projects scheduled further out; Falvey reiterated the schedule could change after inspections.

The board noted the five-year plan will be scheduled for formal adoption at the Oct. 7, 2025, meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Action to approve the Sept. 16 agenda: Motion by McElhaney; second by Gable; carried by voice vote.

- Action to approve the Sept. 2 minutes: Motion by Johnson; second by Schwier; carried by voice vote.

- Public hearing on the provisional 2026 Codington County budget: opened and closed with no public testimony; no action taken at the hearing.

- Action to enter executive session pursuant to South Dakota Codified Laws 1-25-2 (subsections cited in the meeting for personnel and contract discussions): Motion by Johnson; second by Gable; carried by voice vote. The board recessed streaming to enter executive session.