Downtown Hot Springs This Fall Still Runs on Minnekahta Bridge Detours

"Once you're here, you're here!"

That's what Vicky Wetzel tells customers who make the long way around to Springs Lodge and Cafe. Her family's business sits next to the Minnekahta Avenue bridge at 602 Sulphur Springs Street. The Herald-Star called it the business most affected by the construction.

The bridge has been closed since December 15, 2025. Today is the last day of September, and the project has exactly one firm date. That date is a contract deadline, and it comes after everything on downtown's fall calendar. If you're planning October in Hot Springs, assume the closure is still in place.

The only firm date is November 27

The $1.4 million replacement is paid for with a 2023 South Dakota Bridge Improvement Grant. The state covers 80% of the cost and the City of Hot Springs covers 20%. Heavy Constructors of Rapid City is building it, and Brosz Engineering of Sturgis oversees the work.

The dates that went around last winter were never a schedule anyone was bound to. The Herald-Star's December 25, 2025 edition listed the contractor's hoped-for milestones, along with an October 27, 2026 deadline. City Administrator Aerial Allison later said that October date was optimism on the contractor's part. The real contracted deadline is November 27, 2026, and it has not been extended.

Here is how the original milestones compared with the picture in mid-May:

Brosz Engineering said in May that it expected the bridge to be finished by the contract deadline. Since then, no published report has confirmed that the project is still on track or given a new opening date. The city's records do show work continuing. The council packet for September 8 lists a Heavy Constructors pay application for bridge work covering July 17 through August 19, 2026. The city's homepage links to a live camera feed of the bridge. When we checked, the feed's page said the project either did not exist or was not configured for public access.

The fair way to describe it is that November 27 is the deadline the contractor is held to. It is not a ribbon-cutting date.

Why a 1948 bridge took this long to take apart

The old bridge went up in 1948, after the flood of June 20, 1947. Taking it apart turned up problems no drawing showed.

The rock behind the abutments was the first one. A Brosz Engineering spokesman said a planned "drilling project" became a "digging operation" because of the type of stone. Under the deck, crews found:

• A ductile iron water main in poor condition that had not been installed correctly. Public Works Engineer Tracy Bastian said it risked breaking, so the water main and two old valves are being replaced. The council approved that change order on April 20, a net increase of just over $22,400.
• A sewer line the contractor damaged. Heavy Constructors agreed to pay for that repair, as well as for damage to light fixtures and to the sidewalk around Kidney Springs.
• A highly critical internet line that crews have had to work around carefully.

"Over the last 15plus years, City crews have made numerous minor repairs to keep the bridge operational," Allison told the Herald-Star. She said the bridge's condition had gotten bad enough that replacement was necessary. So the closure is also covering water and sewer work downtown would have needed eventually. Doing it now means the street won't have to be torn up again later.

What comes back, and what stays in the city shop

The new bridge is a single span. It is expected to look a lot like the Jennings Avenue bridge the city replaced in 2021. Drivers get the same two lanes, 30 feet of travel space in all. The extra width goes to people on foot. Each sidewalk grows from 5 feet to 6 feet, with chain link railings on both sides.

The railing decision changed over the summer. In May, Allison said the city was talking with Heavy Constructors about reworking the original 1948 railings to meet current safety standards. Several council members had wanted that during planning. The state would not share that cost, so the city would pay all of it, and the council would decide once a quote came in.

By August, the answer was in. The city's Historic Preservation committee reported that the railing will follow the engineered design plans and that the city will keep the old railing. That means the 1948 ironwork stays in city hands but won't be on the new bridge. The same committee report mentions a request for a new walk bridge near Springs Lodge and Café.

The river walk pieces moving alongside it

Two smaller projects near the bridge have their own timelines.

The suspended sidewalk along North River Street had a bad transition at its north end, where it met the tower. A 10-foot, 5-inch extension fixed it, and the Herald-Star reported on May 28 that the north end was open. At the September 21 council meeting, a committee recommended using contingency funds to seal the suspended concrete sidewalk. Sealing had been left out of the original design.

The Kidney Springs Gazebo was still being rebuilt as of that May 28 report. The statue was stored at the city shop while the city collected quotes to sand and paint the fiberglass columns and bases.

Getting to Springs Lodge and Cafe in the meantime

The Wetzel family planned for an estimated 75 tour buses this summer. When their first bus arrived in May, it parked for a short time in the city's Kidney Springs lot. Passengers got off there and walked across the street to eat.

The route the business recommended in May was to reach Minnekahta Avenue from 23rd Street, near the Family Dollar on University Avenue. That's the advice the Wetzels gave customers then. It may not match the detour signs now posted, so check what you see on the street. The cafe also takes online orders through its website, springslodgeandcafe.com. You can order food or drinks the night before and have them ready for pickup or dine-in when you get there. Wetzel said the construction company had been "very accommodating."

Downtown's fall dates, all before the deadline

Both remaining Chamber events downtown fall before November 27:

• Fall Harvest Farmers Market, Saturday, October 3. Centennial Park, 275 N. Garden Street. The Chamber's listing gives 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and mentions produce, crafts, treats and family activities. The time field on that same page shows something different, so check with the Chamber before you go. Chamber event page
• Merchants Trick-or-Treating, Saturday, October 31. Free, downtown, 4 to 6 p.m. Chamber event page

Halloween is four weeks ahead of the contract deadline. The September roadway opening was already expected to slip by several months as of May. If you're bringing kids downtown on October 31, plan your route as if the bridge is still closed.

One more downtown kitchen waiting on repairs

Jalapeños Grill closed after a fire on Monday morning, July 6, which KOTA reported that day. NewsCenter1 reported on July 7 that the restaurant was closed indefinitely. The Herald-Star covered the owners and staff coming back to clean up on July 16. A fundraiser for the restaurant says restoration is being pursued, with hopes to reopen as soon as repairs allow. No date has been announced.

The next Public Works meeting after September 21 was scheduled for September 29. Watch for its minutes on the City of Hot Springs website. They're the most likely place for the next bridge update.

If you own a home or business near Minnekahta Avenue and want to know how the bridge, the river walk work and the railing decision could affect your property when you sell, Amanda Carlin follows these Hot Springs projects closely and can walk the block with you. Work With Amanda.