Interstate 90 in South Dakota

Route description

I-90 enters South Dakota in Lawrence County as a four-lane divided highway. It enters concurrently with US Highway 14 (US 14) and passes through the town of Spearfish, where it shares another concurrency with US 85 from exit 10 to exit 17. From there it passes several miles north and east of the tourist town of Deadwood before entering Meade County, going just to the west of Sturgis. Another concurrency is with South Dakota Highway 34 (SD 34) from exit 23 at Whitewood to exit 30, the west exit of Sturgis, where there starts a concurrency with SD 79. The freeway generally passes along the north and east edges of the Black Hills.

The route then enters Pennington County, where it passes through the northern edge of Rapid City, gateway to the Black Hills and the nearest passing to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, as well as other scenic attractions including Custer State Park and the Needles Highway. Rapid City is also where the interstate has its westernmost auxiliary route, I-190, which links the Interstate to the western edge of the downtown area. SD 79's concurrency ends at exit 61 on the east side of the city. From Rapid City, the route heads east, passing between Box Elder to the south and Ellsworth Air Force Base to the north before heading toward Wall on to Jackson County. Exits 110 and 131 for Badlands National Park to the south (SD 240) are within 15 mi either way of the county line. The concurrency for US 14 ends at exit 112 just east of Wall; here, US 14 runs due east and will connect to the city of Philip and the capital city of Pierre.

I-90 then continues through Aurora County (connecting to White Lake and Plankinton), Davison County (where Mt. Vernon, Mitchell, and the Corn Palace are located), Hanson County (Alexandria), and McCook County (Salem). Then comes the state's most populous county, Minnehaha. After passing the communities of Humboldt and Hartford, the Interstate intersects the only other major Interstate in the state, I-29, at Sioux Falls, the largest city. Just east of I-29 is where I-90 meets the northern terminus of I-229. East of Brandon and northeast of Valley Springs, it then ends its trip through South Dakota of 413 mi before entering Minnesota and Rock County, just west of the towns of Beaver Creek and Manley.

Since April 2015, the speed limit is 80 mph between the Rapid City and the Minnesota state line, except for the segment between Veterans Parkway and Marion Road in Sioux Falls, where the speed limit is 65 mph. The speed limit remains 75 mph between Rapid City and the Wyoming state line.

Codified law

The South Dakota section of I-90 is defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-184.

Transit

Jefferson Lines provides intercity bus service along the length of I-90 in South Dakota serving seven communities along the route with major transfer points at the Sioux Falls Bus Station and in Vivian.

History

I-90 was constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. The four-lane Interstate replaced old US 16 as the main road connecting Rapid City and Sioux Falls. Much of Old US 16 remains intact; however, I-90 has absorbed sections and likewise has reshaped the economies of many southern South Dakota towns. Driver-oriented businesses and hotels opened near new exits on I-90, along with roadside attractions to attract tourists. The final section of I-90 in the state opened in November 1976 between the Wyoming state line and Spearfish.

In the city of Box Elder, exit 66, which crossed SD 435, was closed on October 1, 2003, after a 10-month delay. The exit was closed and removed as a result of the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT)'s efforts to move traffic away from a potential crash site at the end of the Ellsworth AFB runway. The partial cloverleaf interchange of exit 66 was also demolished shortly thereafter. Exit 67, which was constructed not too long before the closure of exit 66, is now used as the main entrance and exit feeder to the base, and it is less likely to be impacted by a potential crash. Local citizens and officials feared the lack of entrances which access the Ellsworth AFB would cause traffic issues and moving businesses from near the old exit would cause some to close and affect tax revenue. Land near exit 66 began to be purchased in 2004, including the former McDonald's property.

On May 24, 2012, the South Dakota Transportation Commission declared the entire length of I-90 as part of the National Purple Heart Trail, naming it the Purple Heart Memorial Highway, named after the military decoration of the same name.

Exit list

References

References

1. Starks, Edward. (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". [[Federal Highway Administration]].
2. "South Dakota Codified Laws - § 31-4-184". [[South Dakota Legislature]].
3. "South Dakota Route Map".
4. (July 2015). "Old Highway 16". South Dakota Magazine.
5. Malcolm, Andrew H.. (June 25, 1973). "The New Highway 'Towns' Nice Places to Go Through". [[The New York Times]].
6. (November 24, 1976). "Interstate history recorded". [[The Rapid City Journal]].
7. (December 5, 2002). "Agreement leaves Exit 66 open until next fall". The Rapid City Journal.
8. (October 1, 2003). "Exit 66 now road to nowhere". The Rapid City Journal.
9. (September 3, 2004). "Box Elder Officials: Exit 66 land sale pending". The Rapid City Journal.
10. Jacobs, Travis. (August 12, 2017). "Purple Heart Memorial Highway". [[KIKN]].
11. "Pavement Condition Monitoring". [[South Dakota Department of Transportation]].