It's time to give Mount Rushmore Road a facelift. We'd venture to say it's well past time.
The city's main north/south corridor; that major route to the hills that is the first - and last - piece of our city many visitors see, is an eyesore. Evidence of poor zoning, out of control signage, an ugly web of power lines crisscrossing the road, mangled sidewalks.
Yes, Mount Rushmore Road needs a facelift.
Local input on a proposed Mount Rushmore Road Corridor Development Plan was heavy earlier this week. The plan is being developed in front of the 2014 and 2016 state Department of Transportation reconstruction project for the roadway. Center medians, landscaping, buried power lines and signage issues were all up for discussion to be included in the development plan.
We're glad to it. Residents in Rapid City care about Mount Rushmore Road and they're willing to invest their time and energy into seeing it become a corridor we can be proud of. All told, the investment in the project could reach $19 million plus.
A primary for the reconstruction is the importance of tourism for the city. What kind of message does it send to our visitors when they see the state that main road is in? The city deserves a better face than is currently provided by Mount Rushmore Road. And safety is an issue. Narrow sidewalks and the potential for dangerous traffic situations can and should be alleviated.
The city has been working on the plan for some time and we hope the community offers input and finally supports the proposal. There's an expense involved, but the payback in terms of aesthetics and safety would be significant.
We will caution, though, that we should not get caught up in the reconstruction and forget what Mount Rushmore Road is. Finally, it's road. It's a major thoroughfare that carries thousands of Rapid Citians from point A to point B quickly and efficiently.
That year round usage can't be forgotten in the name of aesthetics.
We don't think it will. We're confident the city, state and people in this community can put together a viable plan for Mount Rushmore Road that will give it the curb appeal it desperately needs and let it retain the efficiency it has always had.
And the sooner the better.
