Keeping traffic moving and making it easier to get around town is a priority for Box Elder. Achieving that takes planning, partnerships, and a little help from our neighbors.

One of the next big improvements next year is new traffic signals planned for Reagan and Liberty Boulevard near Exit 67 at the Love’s Travel Stop, and at East Mall Drive and Elk Vale Road. We are working with Rapid City on the Elk Vale signal.

Working together with neighboring communities is also helping move regional road projects forward. The City recently met with Rapid City, Pennington County, Meade County, and the South Dakota Ellsworth Development Authority (SDEDA) to discuss plans for road repairs on North Elk Vale and coordinate future improvements. Design work for Highway 1416, Radar Hill Road, and Cheyenne Boulevard is also moving forward. To help guide roadway design, traffic data was collected at four intersections: Radar Hill Road and Highway 1416, Radar Hill Road and Cheyenne Boulevard, Elk Vale Road and Cheyenne Boulevard, and Northern Lights Boulevard and Cheyenne Boulevard. In addition to addressing traffic congestion around the school campus, design work continues to be refined for North Ellsworth Road between the AFB Main Gate and Patriot Gate and Tower Road between Liberty Boulevard and 225th Street.

It’s not just about vehicles! Box Elder is working to create better connections for pedestrians. Construction is underway on the 225th Street and Tower Road sidewalk, while the South Ellsworth Road sidewalk, connecting Highway 1416 to Prairie View, is ready to be bid, with construction expected in 2027. Another sidewalk project along Liberty Boulevard, from Main Street to Tower Road, has received grant approval, with design anticipated in 2027 and construction likely in 2028. The City is actively seeking additional grant funding to extend the sidewalk from Tower Road to Reagan. If awarded, that funding could allow both Liberty Boulevard projects to be designed together to assist in efficiency.

From a resident’s perspective, infrastructure improvements may sometimes seem disjointed. In reality, the City coordinates infrastructure planning well in advance with Master Transportation Plans, Master Park Plans, and Comprehensive Plans, helping coordinate project needs. The pace of the projects moves at the speed of the funding. This funding often comes from different sources and at different rates. Together, these projects represent continued investment in Box Elder’s infrastructure, helping improve traffic flow, support safer travel, and connect neighborhoods and destinations.