The Chapel Lane Bridge replacement — the sole access point for more than 500 homes in the Chapel Valley neighborhood — has been pushed back over a year, from a May 2026 completion target to June 1, 2027, after the city was passed over for a 2026 state Bridge Improvement Grant that would have covered a significant share of the project’s cost.
Built in 1974 to replace a bridge destroyed in the 1972 Rapid City flood, the Chapel Lane Bridge has been under load restrictions since August 2025, after a hole was discovered in its concrete deck.
Single vehicles are currently limited to 18 tons and combination trucks to 30 tons. City officials have said the lack of any alternate route poses a real concern for emergency access, since the neighborhood is boxed in by steep terrain and private property.
Rather than wait for the next grant cycle, the city is amending its design contract with HDR Engineering — increasing the agreement from $358,080 to $561,935 — to pursue a different construction approach.
Temporary Bridge Solution
Instead of keeping a single lane of traffic open on the existing bridge for the full length of construction, the city is coordinating with the South Dakota Department of Transportation to bring in the department’s temporary ACROW bridge, a prefabricated 140-foot structure SDDOT is making available.
The temporary bridge and roadway would be built on city property in Canyon Lake Park, just south of the existing bridge; the boat ramp and parking lot there would be removed and rebuilt afterward, with some tree removal expected. A new temporary intersection would also be built east of the existing Jackson Blvd/Chapel Lane junction, then removed once construction is complete.
The added design work is expected to run through January 2027, including additional geotechnical review, environmental permitting through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and a public open house before final design is finished.
HDR is required to notify residents and businesses at up to 600 addresses and advertise the meeting.
The goal of this revised timeline is to have “bid review ready” plans finished in time for the city’s next Bridge Improvement Grant application, due in January 2027 — meaning construction funding, and a firm start date for residents, still isn’t guaranteed even after this additional year of design work.
2 Other Bridge Items
The same July 14 agenda also included two other bridge-related grant applications: preliminary engineering funding for the Tomahawk Bridge replacement (cost-shared 81.95% federal, 18.05% city), and a no-match, fully federally funded grant for the Western Avenue Bridge replacement near Park Drive.
Rapid City Public Works meets Tuesday July 14th 2026, 12:30 pm at Rapid City City Hall. Live streaming can be found at Rapid City’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
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