Aberdeen council approves first reading to convert Main Street to two-way traffic, trims project funding

The City of Aberdeen City Council voted to approve first reading of a resolution to convert Main Street from Railroad Avenue to Sixth Avenue from a one-way configuration to a two-way layout, adopting the two-lane option and adjusting the project appropriation at its Sept. 22 meeting.

The move follows more than two hours of public comment and council debate about parking loss, traffic flow and downtown economic impacts. The council approved an amendment that strikes a previously listed $500,000 line item for the project, appropriates $200,000 for initial work and places $300,000 into an undesignated street/bridge account. Council members voting in favor outnumbered those opposed.

Supporters argued a two-way Main Street could bring more shoppers and foot traffic to downtown, while opponents warned it would remove parking spaces, create congestion and pose safety and delivery challenges. Business owners and residents gave the council a mix of testimony during the public-comment period, with several speakers urging the council either to reject the plan or to scale it back.

Brent Fisher, a property owner on the 500 block of South Main, told the council the design would eliminate what he called "prime" parking and predicted a "snowball effect" of congestion and safety problems: "You're gonna have more traffic count, but that's not gonna bring us more business. You're gonna have safety issues. You're gonna have issues with delivery trucks." Fisher said petition organizers were prepared to place the issue on a public ballot if the council approved the project.

Dawn Shepherd, who said she had discussed the site with the South Dakota Department of Transportation, raised concerns about a blind corner and the potential need for traffic controls such as a no-right-on-red restriction. "I just think it's very, very wrong that that is not being taken into consideration," she said, citing two long-standing businesses she feared would be harmed by reduced parking and congestion.

Council members debated the technical and political trade-offs at length. Councilman Johnson (role: Councilman) called for respectful consideration of opposing views and read prepared remarks urging caution; he cited the HDR traffic study and questioned the comparability of some outside examples used by proponents. "Assessments and projections made by the HDR study are speculative," Johnson said, adding that he had not seen safety metrics demonstrating the plan would improve safety.

Others supported the measure as a tool to bring more customers past downtown storefronts. Councilwoman Foburg argued the proposal "preserves as much parking as we humanly can" and framed increased downtown traffic as a benefit to new and existing businesses. Mayor Schoneman said the city had reduced the project cost from earlier estimates and sought to protect downtown momentum while limiting spending.

The council followed a three-step motion sequence laid out by staff: (1) decide whether to configure the street to two-way traffic; (2) choose between two-lane and three-lane designs; and (3) adopt the resolution amending the capital improvement plan. The council voted to configure Main Street to two-way traffic, then selected the two-lane option (Option 1). Later a motion amended the funding language to appropriate $200,000 for the project and to move $300,000 to an undesignated streets/bridges line; that amended resolution passed on first reading.

City staff said the $200,000 estimate includes a roughly 10% contingency and represents the city's engineer estimate for the two-lane conversion. The council and staff acknowledged additional design work will be required and that future infrastructure projects — such as water and sewer replacements or a turn lane at Sixth Avenue — could change the project's scope and cost.

The resolution passed on first reading; as a statutory and charter matter the council is using the resolution and the CIP amendment to meet required planning obligations. Opponents said a public referendum is likely if the council proceeds; supporters said the change is needed to support downtown revitalization and to capture passing traffic as potential customers.

The council did not set a construction schedule at the meeting. Staff said design and further engineering would follow and any additional funding needed beyond the $200,000 appropriation would require separate council approval.

Votes and next steps: The council approved the amended resolution on first reading; additional design work and any supplemental funding requests will return to the council for approval. Because this was a first-reading action amending the capital improvement plan, implementation details, final design and any necessary follow-up approvals remain to be settled.

Ending: The council's decision marks a procedural step toward reconfiguring Main Street; with vocal opposition in the community, both sides signaled plans to continue the debate as design, costs and traffic analyses proceed.