SF airport construction starts Thursday; be prepared

If you’re flying in or out of the Sioux Falls Regional Airport this week, there will be some construction to keep an eye out for.

On a cold slushy day like today, walking from the parking lot to the airport can be a bit of a hassle but a new construction project could make that walk a whole lot easier.

Construction preparations have already started on a $2 million addition to the parking garage – an 85-foot Skyway connecting the parking garage to the airport.

“We added to the project when we bid it, we could have built just the parking garage and one of the alternates was to add a Skyway,” Dan Letellier, Executive Director Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

“Especially with South Dakota weather, and the traveling and like today, it’s raining slushy snow. So I think the walkway would be a great benefit,” said Melissa Bentley, Sioux Falls resident.

Weather permitting, the project will begin this Thursday. There will be a 10-hour closure along Jaycee Lane. Letellier says it’s important to plan ahead and arrive at least two hours before your flight.

“You’ll still come in on Jaycee Lane, but all the traffic will be flowed into the long-term parking lot through the ground level of the new parking garage. And then back out onto Jaycee Lane in front of baggage claim and then back on how you normally would get to rental cars and things like that,” Letellier said.

Around 1.2 million people travel through the airport every year and the goal is to expand the airport to meet those needs.

The lane closure will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Construction will begin at 8 a.m. and should finish at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

The project as a whole is expected to be done around October. View the story on KELOLAND.