U.S. Route 83 in South Dakota

U.S. Highway 83, part of the United States Numbered Highway System, runs from the Mexican border in Brownsville, Texas, to the Canadian border near Westhope, North Dakota. In the state of South Dakota, it runs from Olsonville to Herreid by way of Mission, Murdo, and Gettysburg. The route also runs through the capital Pierre as well as its suburb Fort Pierre. For much of its length, US 83 runs through rural areas, passing through the badlands and small portions of the Black Hills of the state.[1]

U.S. Highway 83 marker
U.S. Highway 83
Map
US 83 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by SDDOT
Length240.36 mi (386.82 km)
Existed1926–present
Major junctions
South end US 83 near Olsonville
Major intersections
North end US 83 near Herreid
Location
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Dakota
CountiesTodd, Mellette, Jones, Stanley, Hughes, Sully, Potter, Walworth, Campbell
Highway system
  • South Dakota State Trunk Highway System
US 81 US 85
Southbound US 83 in Fort Pierre

Route description

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US 83 enters South Dakota just south of Olsonville, into Todd County, where it also enters the Rosebud Indian Reservation.[2] It passes through extremely deserted grassland without any sort of development on the road.[3] After a couple of miles, it reaches Mission, where it meets US 18 (Second Street). Here, US 83 turns left on to US 18 and the two routes begin a rather short concurrency lasting for approximately 3 miles (4.8 km). Through Mission, US 18/83 passes through generally moderate development and businesses along the road, before the route begins to become rural once again after exiting Mission.

US 83 splits off from US 18 and turns northward, while US 18 continues west. US 83 continues north through dry, sandy plains with no development once again. It passes several cemeteries, as well as a church, and later the Horse Creek Community Center. After passing the community center, South Dakota Highway 44 intersects US 83 and enters a concurrency with it. In White River, SD 44 leaves US 83. US 83 passes through grassy farmland and crosses the Little White River on a bridge. Shortly after that, it enters Mellette County. US 83 then crosses the main branch of the White River and reaches the unincorporated community of Westover. It continues to go through sparse development. Just outside of Murdo, the hills become more flat as US 83 passes by the Murdo Municipal Airport. The development increases when US 83 reaches Murdo and passes by a dam and another cemetery. In Murdo, it meets I-90 and turns right on to the interstate, forming one of its few concurrencies with an interstate highway. Meanwhile one of I-90's business routes continues into downtown Murdo. In November 2022, a project to add new asphalt surfacing on the road as well as a shared-use path from White River to Murdo was completed by the South Dakota Department of Transportation.[4]

As US 83 enters its concurrency with I-90, they pass through several grassy and sandy farmland with very little development along the road. They also parallel a road to the north of them which several of the exits are signed for. At exit 212 near Vivian, US 83 leaves I-90 and intersects the northern terminus of a northern segment of South Dakota Highway 53. US 83 then heads north along an unsigned business route of I-90, passing a gas station and weigh station. It then passes through more rural farmland with only slight development along the road.[5]

It then enters Stanley County and development increases a bit, though still sparse, reaching Fort Pierre. US 83 increases to four lanes and heads along the streets of the city, meeting US 14. It turns slightly northeast while US 14 turns left, beginning a concurrency as the two routes cross the Missouri River and enter Hughes County where they also reach the city limits of Pierre, one of the few capitals not served by any interstate highway.[6]

In Pierre, the routes keep four lanes while passing through rather large development such as hotels, restaurants, and businesses. After about a couple of blocks, the two routes make several awkward turns to exit Pierre; they turn north on to Pierre Street, east on Pleasant Avenue, and north again on Euclid Avenue, while their truck routes continue through the city.[7] After exiting Pierre, the two routes head through somewhat suburban development but expand the road. The lanes remain the same while the median becomes larger, being grass-lined.

 
The Missouri River Bridge in Pierre

Near Blunt, US 83 turns north, leaving US 14.[8] It enters Sully County, passing through a mix of grassy and sandy farmland with a sprinkle of development near Onida. It also passes through Agar, entering Potter County, and passing through Gorman before meeting US 212 near Gettysburg. US 212 merges on to US 83 to form a very short concurrency before US 83 leaves US 212 by turning north to avoid the main district.

Another couple miles pass by before US 83 meets its next concurrency, South Dakota Highway 20. The two routes stay concurrent for a while, before they enter Walworth County and pick up another concurrency, this time with US 12. The three routes make their way to downtown Selby with more industrial businesses and shops lining the road. After exiting Selby, US 83 departs the concurrency by turning north one last time.[9]

US 83 then continues on its way, passing through more grassy fields as well as a few marshes being dotted along the side as it enters its final county in the state, Campbell County. The last stretches of development along its route are Mound City and Herreid before US 83 enters North Dakota at Emmons County.[9]

The South Dakota section of US 83, with the exception of all of its concurrencies, is legally defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-180.[10]

History

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Historically, US 83 did not exist in South Dakota. When it was first established in 1926, it initially ran from the Canadian border to the South Dakota state line. Later on, US 83 was extended to Pierre. South of Pierre, US 83 followed an old route that went further east; this route is now present day US 183.[11] A portion of US 83 also runs on the Native American Scenic Byway.[12]

Future

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As of February 2024, the bridge between Fort Pierre and Pierre is said to be in deterioration and will be replaced with a stronger, sturdier, bridge that would provide more support than the old one and have extra features as well as allow all traffic to flow smoothly. The project is slated for total completion in 2025, while in the four phases, it is currently in the second one.[13][14]

Major intersections

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CountyLocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
Todd0.00.0 
 
US 83 south – Valentine
Continuation into Nebraska
Mission22.135.6 
 
US 18 east (2nd Street) – Winner
Southern end of US 18 overlap
25.240.6 
 
US 18 west – Rosebud, Martin
Northern end of US 18 overlap
Mellette41.466.6 
 
SD 44 east – Wood
Southern end of SD 44 overlap
White River43.870.5 
 
SD 44 west – Cedar Butte
Northern end of SD 44 overlap
JonesMurdo67.3108.3 
 
 
 
I-90 west / I-90 BL west – Belvidere, Murdo
Southern end of I-90 overlap; I-90 exit 192
Draper75.3121.2201Draper
Mussman Township82.4132.6208No name exitCounty road S10
87.3140.5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I-90 east / I-90 BL west / SD 53 south to SD 44 – Presho
Northern end of I-90 overlap; northern terminus of SD 53; southern end of unsigned I-90 BL overlap; I-90 exit 212
88.1141.8 
 
I-90 BL east
Northern end of unsigned I-90 BL overlap
StanleyFort Pierre117.4188.9 
 
SD 1806 south
Southern end of SD 1806 overlap
120.6194.1  
 
 
 
US 14 / SD 34 west / SD 1806 north (Yellowstone Street)
Southern end of US 14/SD 34 overlap; northern end of SD 1806 overlap
Missouri River120.9194.6Missouri River Bridge
HughesPierre121.2195.1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
US 14 Truck east / US 83 Truck north / SD 34 east (Sioux Avenue)
Northern end of SD 34 overlap
124.5200.4 
 
 
 
 
 
US 14 Truck west / US 83 Truck south (Garfield Avenue)
Blunt139.5224.5 
 
US 14 east – Huron
Northern end of US 14 overlap
Module:Jctint/USA warning: Unused argument(s): cspan
Sully
No major junctions
PotterGettysburg174.1280.2 
 
US 212 west – Eagle Butte
Southern end of US 212 overlap
175.3282.1 
 
US 212 east – Gettysburg
Northern end of US 212 overlap
Walworth191.8308.7 
 
SD 20 east – Hoven
Southern end of SD 20 overlap
Selby206.3332.0 
 
US 12 east – Ipswich
Southern end of US 12 overlap
212.8342.5  
 
US 12 / SD 20 west – Mobridge
Northern end of US 12/SD 20 overlap
Campbell228.1367.1 
 
SD 10 east – Eureka
Southern end of SD 10 overlap
Herreid238.4383.7 
 
SD 10 west – Pollock
Northern end of SD 10 overlap
240.36386.82 
 
US 83 north – Linton
Continuation into North Dakota
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

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  1. ^ "South Dakota's Black Hills to the Badlands Road History - Back in Time - General Highway History - Highway History - Federal Highway Administration". Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  2. ^ "Rosebud Sioux Tribe". Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  3. ^ "US-83, Mission, South Dakota". Google Street View. July 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  4. ^ "White River - U.S. Highway 83 North to Murdo - South Dakota Department of Transportation". dot.sd.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  5. ^ "US-83, Vivian, South Dakota". Google Street View. October 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  6. ^ Weingroff, Richard (June 27, 2017). "Part VII: Miscellaneous Interstate Facts". The Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "SCHEDULE III. TRUCK ROUTES". American Legal Publishing. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  8. ^ "U.S. Highway 14 and U.S. Highway 83 - Near Blunt Junction - South Dakota Department of Transportation". dot.sd.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  9. ^ a b https://dot.sd.gov/media/documents/CADD-Mapping/County/wlth.pdf
  10. ^ Legislative Research Council. "31-4-180. U.S. Highway 83 from Nebraska to North Dakota". Codified Laws. South Dakota Legislature. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  11. ^ DenOuden, Candy (April 24, 2014). "Author pens story of North, South Dakota along US Highway 83". Mitchell Republic. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  12. ^ "Native American Scenic Byway". Fort Pierre South Dakota Official Website. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  13. ^ "Pierre-Fort Pierre Bridge Construction". Pierre-Fort Pierre Bridge Construction. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  14. ^ "South Dakota's Pierre-Fort Pierre Bridge Replacement Under Way : CEG". www.constructionequipmentguide.com. Retrieved February 4, 2024.