Construction on a parking lot behind the south 100 block of W. Chicago Rd. in downtown Sturgis begins today, Monday, June 17.

The City of Sturgis says the work, which will last six weeks, will impact parking lot #6 as seen in the graphic at the top of this article.

Some citizens expressed concerns on social media about the timing of the construction as it coincides with Sturgis Fest activities, which will take place from June 18 to June 22. The Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce responded to those concerns on Facebook.

“Please remember that the City of Sturgis put this out to bid quite a while ago. They cannot control when contractors will be ready to start a project (due to availability and supply),” the chamber wrote in a comment on the city’s Facebook post announcing the project. ​

“The city had truly hoped that this would not occur during Sturgis Fest, but unfortunately this is how the cards fell. Is it an inconvenience for this week, sure…but the long term outcome will be wonderful. The parking lots desperately need to be redone and they will be beautiful when the project is finished. They did not select next week on purpose and there is a lot at play that determines when projects begin and end. Thank you for understanding!”