It appears two-way, public communication is now flowing between Pierre City officials and residents of the Historic Hill District regarding some major changes the City has planned for a section of Elizabeth Street.
For the past few weeks, concerned citizens have been speaking during the public comment portion of Pierre City Commission meetings. However, because items discussed during that portion of the meeting aren’t specifically mentioned on the meeting agenda, legally, city officials are only allowed to listen, but not provide back-and forth conversation.
While the South Dakota Department of Transportation has the road ripped up to complete work on the second year of the Euclid Avenue reconstruction project, the City of Pierre is planning to piggyback on that to make adjustments to short sections of sidewalks along Elizabeth Street and Grand Avenue to make them safer for pedestrians and bring them into compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
During this week’s city commission meeting (March 24, 2026), Mayor Steve Harding said although the City and SDDOT are collaborating on the work being done on Euclid and Elizabeth, these are two separate projects.
Pierre Staff Engineer Scott Schweitzer says Elizabeth Street was narrowed in the 1960s but they don’t know why.
Schweitzer says the Elizabeth Street plan is guided by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices– or MUTCD.
Schweitzer says once the SDDOT replaces curb and sidewalk to within a few feet of the Elizabeth and Grand right-of-way, the City will have to follow the ADA compliant regulations when they finish the stretch that’s left.
Schweitzer says the South Dakota Historical Preservation Office conducted a review of the work proposed by the City of Pierre and determined there was “No Adverse Effect” for the proposal.
The following is the entire Elizabeth Street Project update from the March 24, 2026, Pierre City Commission meeting. The slides referred to in the audio are below.
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