News

Hoven HWY 20/47 Sanitary Sewer and Water Improvements and Airport Project

April 9th, 2016
By Elisa Sand esand@aberdeennews.com

Posted on Apr 9, 2016 by Elisa Sand

Hoven’s airport runway will not be back in use until later this summer, and motorists will need to avoid Main Street into fall.

Work on Hoven’s Main Street, which is also state Highway 20, has already started, said Hoven finance officer Wendy Rausch. Highway 20 is also state Highway 47 through and around Hoven.

The project isn’t strictly a new surface. When completed, Rausch said there will be new water, sewer and storm sewer lines beneath the street, along with new fire hydrants, sidewalks, curb and gutter and electric poles.
The total cost for all upgrades is $4.7 million, according to Lucas Hoover, project engineer with Helms and Associates. Sharpe Enterprises of Fort Pierre is the prime contractor, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The state’s portion of the project costs $3.7 million. The city’s portion of the project, the installation of water and sewer lines, costs just shy of $1 million. The city’s portion of the project is covered by both a loan and a grant.

Work is expected to be finished by Nov. 4.
Sharpe will have public meetings concerning the project at 5 p.m. every Thursday night at the Hoven city building.

Runway work:

Contractors started work this week on rebuilding the airport’s sole runway. Project engineer Brandon Smid of Helms and Associates said the $1.5 million task to upgrade the 3,700-foot-long runway will take about 3 1/2 months.

Rausch said Webster Scale is the general contractor for the job, which includes resurfacing the runway and installing drainage tile.

Smid said one requirement for the job is that the runway not be closed more than 100 days. The project includes removal of the existing pavement, the installation of new base materials, resurfacing and tile under the runway to ease drainage issues.

About 90 percent of the project is covered by federal funding. Rausch said many of the pilots who use the Hoven airport have hangars in other communities.