The South Dakota Department of Transportation is advising motorists that crews will begin paving operations on the final phase of the Heartland Expressway Project on Highway 385 in Fall River County on Wednesday, May 22.
Paving operations will begin one-half mile north of Oelrichs on the new northbound two-lane highway and move south for four miles.
Highway 385 traffic will be detoured from one-half mile north of Oelrichs, through the intersection of Highways 385 and 18, to three-quarters of a mile south of Oelrichs. A portion of the detour is on gravel with a 45 mph speed limit during working hours and 55 mph during off-hours. There is a 12-foot width restriction through the detour.
There will be three entrances into Oelrichs during this time:
1) On the north end of Oelrichs, turn east at the intersection of Highways 385 and 18, drive one-half mile east on Highway 18, then turn south on Main Street.
2) On the west side of Oelrichs, turn east on 4th Street or at “The Office” cafe. This will be the only west entrance into Oelrichs during concrete paving operations from May 22 to mid-July.
3) On the south side of Oelrichs, turn east on Milligan Road, drive one-quarter mile east to the intersection of Milligan Road and Old Highway 79, and then turn north onto Old Highway 79 for one-quarter mile.
The prime contractor on this $25.2 million project is Loiseau Construction, Inc. of Flandreau.