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DOT adopts speed‑zone changes on Highway 115 near Veterans Parkway in Lincoln County
Summary
The South Dakota Department of Transportation commission approved amendments to Administrative Rule 7010244 to reduce a northern segment of SD Highway 115 near Veterans Parkway/85th Street, following department speed studies and local input.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation commission on April 23 approved amendments to the Lincoln County Speed Zone Rule (Administrative Rule 7010244) to reduce posted speeds on portions of SD Highway 115 near the Veterans Parkway/85th Street intersection.
Carla Engel, chief legal counsel, told commissioners the department is proposing to reduce a segment of Highway 115 that is currently posted at 55 miles per hour. The proposed change in the rule text submitted for the public hearing would lower the limit on a northerly segment (from 0.1 miles south of Veterans Parkway north to 85th Street, also identified as 270th Street) from 55 mph to 45 mph. Engel said the change updates distance measurements to tenths of a mile and aims to enhance safety around new development and the Veterans Parkway intersection.
DOT staff presented two speed studies. A January 14, 2026 count between Veterans Parkway and 85th Street showed an 85th‑percentile speed of 47 mph, a 50th‑percentile (median) speed of 42 mph and an average speed of 43 mph; department software and traffic engineering review suggested a 40 mph limit in the immediate signalized area. A February 6, 2026 study between Veterans Parkway and County Road 106 (271st Street) returned a higher 85th‑percentile speed (58 mph) and a median of 53 mph, and staff recommended retaining 55 mph on that southerly segment.
Engel said the department and the City of Sioux Falls view a reduced limit in the northern segment as appropriate given the evolving urban context around the new parkway, and that one timely written comment—submitted April 19 by the mayor of Harrisburg—supported the change while noting the department's use of the 50th‑percentile speed in selecting the recommended posted speed.
Commissioners asked staff clarifying questions about adjacent posted limits and the evidence behind the selected thresholds. After a public‑hearing step (no in‑room or phone testimony was offered), a commissioner moved and the commission voted to adopt the proposed rule amendments as presented. The clerk called the roll and the motion carried.
The rule change will be reflected in the administrative rule as adopted and in DOT's published speed‑zone maps; staff said local enforcement agencies concurred with the recommended change. The commission packet lists the formal rule as "administrative rule 7010244, Lincoln County Speed Zone Rule."
