Watch Your Windshield: State Chip Sealing US81/SD34

If you're coming to Madison on US 81 from the south or SD 34 from the west, watch out for chips—not Ponch and John, but rock. KJAM alerts us that the state Department of Transportation is doing chip deal work on seven stretches of highway in southeast South Dakota. The roads under repair:

• US 81 from SD 34 south 11 miles – length 11.0 miles;
• SD 34 & US 81 1\2 mile west of the South Junction of US 81 East 11 miles – length 11.3 miles;
• SD 115 from Interstate 29 to Dell Rapids – length 3.2 miles;
• SD 11 from Corson to Garretson – length 9.1 miles;
• SD 42 from SD 17 west 13 miles – length 13.0 miles;
• SD 115 from the Harrisburg Corner to 85th Street – length 2.6 miles
• SD 11 from US 18 south to SD 46 – length 15.0 miles

The state gives no exact schedule for each road, but they expect to finish all seven stretches in the next four weeks. Flaggers and pilot cars will slow you down during the actual work, but worry more the days right after the work, when all that loose rock and fast drivers are just waiting to turn your windshield into modern art. Ugh! Looks like we might wait a month to replace our windshields, just to make sure....