Thread: It is Comming...

This is a story that was broadcast last night on our local TV station. I see it as just a little piece of a much bigger puzzle. Please tell me, WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Rapid City - The connection of the Heartland Expressway to Interstate-90 and Rapid City is expected to change the way the region does business. Governor Mike Rounds says the opening of exit 61 at I-90 will give everyone traveling through the state greater access to businesses and an easier route to some of the area's biggest tourist attractions.Governor Mike Rounds, (R) South Dakota"This is an opportunity to provide a transportation system second to none in terms of ease and availability not just for business but for quality of life as well." It's part of a massive transportation project known as the Heartland Expressway that will eventually connect Rapid City to Denver. "Not only are we working on easing congestion, but a lot of the states in the upper Midwest are bringing connectivity from other parts of the country through this part of the country and they have to have the availability as well." Because the new exit will connect traffic on I-90 directly to Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, business owners in downtown Rapid City and along Highway 16 are concerned it will do nothing but route visitors away from them. Mayor Alan Hanks says he doesn't believe that will be the case.Mayor Alan Hanks, Rapid City"Rapid City is a community that is very proactive and I think we have the ability to come up with marketing plans that will help bring people into Rapid City." Hanks says he believes the exit will make it easier for visitors to get in, and easier for them to spend money. He hopes the combination of exit 60 and exit 61 will create a retail and hospitality corridor. "You can already see the Cabela's going up, the Super Target, the Scheels, all those are going up. The Sam's Club has already announced their moving out to the interstate, a couple large car dealerships. What it's going to do is help us become of a regional center for retail and hospitality." Although the connection from Rapid City to Denver won't be finished for several more years, officials say the new exit will pay dividends for years to come. The Heartland Expressway is centered at the heart of the "Great Plains International Trade Corridor." It’s a proposed four-lane artery, which will connect the metropolitan cities and regional trade centers of the Great Plains from Canada to Mexico.

I think it is going to hit that little town, I think it is called Keystone, really hard.

I can't find a solid connection to anything nefarious, other than I think the economy is worse than they say because a whole lot of road projects are starting up again.