The South Dakota Department of Transportation is set to begin work on the Interstate 90 westbound bridge over the Vermillion River located 4 miles west of Humboldt this week.
The contractor will need to close the bridge and the westbound lanes of I-90 to traffic periodically throughout construction. A detour will be provided from Humboldt to Montrose on Highway 38.
The interstate will only be closed during daytime working hours. Trucks over 16-feet wide or longer than 80-feet will need to use an alternate route.
The first closure is scheduled for one day on Friday, Dec. 20, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The next closure will be in early January 2020 for four or five days, during daylight hours only. Additional closures may be needed as the project progresses.
Motorists are advised to pay attention to signing and be prepared for closures in this area for about 45 days.
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Crews will be doing temporary repair on scour damage caused during the September flooding that closed this area of westbound I-90 in mid-September and has been reduced to one lane over the structure since that time. Scour work on a bridge involves removing sediment such as sand or gravel from around bridge piers, and flooding can cause the erosion of soil around a bridge's foundation.
The project is anticipated to be completed by Jan. 31, 2020, depending on weather.
