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For many years, the City of Springfield, South Dakota, faced increasingly severe pavement deterioration at its municipal airport. The runway and taxiway system, originally built in the early 1980s and overlaid in 2006, had received only minor repairs, and by 2024, large cracks and failing pavement threatened the airport’s viability. A 2021 SDDOT pavement condition study confirmed that every pavement section had effectively failed, making full reconstruction essential to avoid potential closure. In response, the City partnered with the FAA, SDDOT, and DGR Engineering (DGR) to develop a long‑term solution. With project costs estimated at $5 million, Springfield committed all available AIP and IIJA funding and, with DGR’s support, successfully secured over $3.9 million in competitive FAA Discretionary funds. As Mayor Kostal noted, strong collaboration and communication were critical to the project’s success.
Design efforts modernized the runway, taxiway, and apron to meet current FAA standards, improved drainage and durability, and addressed safety‑critical grading issues. Construction began in spring 2025, and despite persistent rainfall, it was completed that fall through careful coordination between the contractor and engineering team. The reconstructed airfield now provides a safer, more efficient, and more resilient airport for the community, ensuring long‑term service, reduced maintenance needs, and ongoing support for local growth.
Introducing our 2024 Sioux Falls office summer interns: Nolan Jessen, Sam Block, Nate VanDeBerg, Tyler VanDenOever.
The City of Sioux Falls requested DGR Engineering’s (DGR) services in 2014 for improvements to a small drainage channel which was undersized, and some adjacent properties and structures had previously sustained flood damage during large rain events. After initial concepts were reviewed, the City opted to have DGR design the channel to handle more capacity, which required making the channel deeper and wider.
The project was put on hold for various reasons, but after almost ten years of coordination, design, and construction, this drainage channel project was finally completed in the summer of 2023. The contractor and subcontractors did an amazing job revitalizing an area that had been neglected and overgrown, and the property owners along Riverdale Road are now better protected against future flooding.