RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — Drivers in Rapid City may want to take a detour to avoid construction on Sheridan Lake Road.

To provide safety for their workers and the public, an overnight project will get underway at 1 a.m. Saturday.

With school back in session, being able to get this project through phase two is important so the area can re-open for more traffic.

“There’s a lot of factors you have to consider when you’re considering nighttime paving. You know, our biggest one is the safety of the traveling public. We have about 130 concrete trucks that’ll be coming in and out of here over the course of about 10 hours. A lot of extra traffic in here.” City Engineer Roger Hall Said

While not the first overnight construction, this is the first time overnight paving will be taking place in Rapid City.

By doing construction overnight, it allows these construction crews to continue the progress and shorten their timeline. As well as protect some of their workers from this heat we’ve been experiencing.

“When it’s a hundred and some degrees out here or approaching one hundred degrees, these workers are out here in the sun and they don’t get relief from it. You know we do our extra cautionary measures about drinking water and you’ll see these guys with their white brim hats on to protect them from the sun. And this operation, even though it’s starting at 1:00 A.M. will last into the daytime while we try to beat the afternoon heat Saturday.” Hall Said

This paving will be over 1,200 linear feet, covering two lanes down Sheridan Lake Road.

Pending the success of this overnight project, several others could be lined up over the next few months.