Rapid City posts load limits, seeks funding to replace Chapel Lane Bridge after inspections find severe corrosion

City engineers reported significant deterioration on multiple Rapid City bridges during a presentation of the 2025 bridge inspection report, prompting temporary load limits, partial closures and plans to seek state grant funding for replacement work.

Bros Engineering inspector Josh Hertel told the council the inspection was triggered after a call that a roughly 3‑foot‑diameter hole had opened in the Chapel Lane Bridge deck; the city had already closed the lane and made a temporary repair before his in‑depth inspection. "This inspection was not initially on our list this year, but we got a call that there had been a hole in the deck," Hertel said.

City engineering staff concluded the bridge should be posted to keep heavier vehicles off the structure while further evaluation and repairs proceed. City staff described a load posting at 75% of legal load (about 18 tons for a single‑unit vehicle and higher limits for combinations), effective Aug. 20, with signing on the bridge and on adjacent Jackson Boulevard to prevent…