RAPID CITY, SD—City crews are putting their mechanical ‘brooms’ to good use during May’s ‘Sweeps Month’ effort.
In late April, the City’s Streets Division announced an impressive plan to sweep every street on Rapid City’s 400-plus mile transportation system this month, putting its 10 sweepers and crews to the test to collect debris left over on streets from the winter season. Most of the City’s street system contains multiple lanes of traffic.
“We are currently on track and meeting the expectations we set,” said City Streets Superintendent Jesse Rieb, noting that 13 of the City’s 21 routes have been swept. “The crews have been rotating their work efforts so they are in good spirts and motivated by the challenge.”
The public can monitor the progress and work of the sweeper crews during ‘Sweeps Month’. The public can monitor the location of the sweepers by visiting live https://www.rcgov.org/departments/public-works/streets-division.html .
Drivers are advised to use caution when approaching or passing street sweepers and to be mindful of oncoming traffic in the work area.
On average, City sweepers collect more than 2,000 tons of material from city streets each year. That’s a lot of gravel, dirt, rock and other debris. Reib said he won’t know how much debris crews have collected from the ‘Sweeps Month’ effort until month’s end.
The sweepers and crews collect tons of material left behind from the thousands of cars traveling city streets on a daily basis, as well as picking up debris residing on streets and gutters produced from various weather conditions, and material deposited from wash outs produced from heavy precipitation. The City sweepers collect not only dirt and gravel, but cups, bottles, cigarette butts, paper items and other debris.
Sweeper crews work in residential areas during the day and main line areas at night for safety reasons to minimize interaction with traffic. The collected material is dropped off at the Street Shop detention area on Steele Avenue, dried and then taken to the Rapid City Landfill, which uses the material for cover.
