Falls Park Drive
Carrying Falls Park Drive over Big Sioux River
west of Weber Avenue, Minnehaha, South Dakota
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: Falls Park Drive
The Falls Park Drive bridge in Minnehaha, South Dakota carries Falls Park Drive over Big Sioux River. It was built in 1995, making it 31 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete continuous and spans 4 sections, stretching 52.4 meters (172 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 8,260 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of South Dakota bridges. It is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure at 7/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds. Its NBI inventory load rating is 38.1 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How Falls Park Drive compares
Live comparison across South Dakota.
Historical Sufficiency Rating
PlainBridge-computedFHWA discontinued this calculated item; it does not determine current condition, funding eligibility, posting, or closure. How the historical reference is calculated.
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 1995
- Material
- Concrete Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 4
- Structure Length
- 52.4 m (172 ft)
- Deck Width
- 13.3 m (44 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 8,260 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000050205199
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in good condition (7/9), showing no significant deterioration.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates good at 7/9, with no significant deterioration on file.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether Falls Park Drive is safe to cross today. Here is how to use it.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Learn how the 0–9 condition scale and Good/Fair/Poor categories are defined. How condition ratings work
- Compare Falls Park Drive against other structures in Minnehaha and across South Dakota. South Dakota bridges
- Noticed visible damage or a safety concern? Report it to the agency that owns the bridge, or call 911 in an emergency. How to report a bridge
Condition codes come straight from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory and are not a real-time safety judgment. Only the owning agency, a state DOT, county, or other owner, can post, restrict, or close a bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the condition ratings mean for Falls Park Drive?
Falls Park Drive in Minnehaha, South Dakota has a deck rating of 7/9, superstructure rating of 7/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Falls Park Drive inspected?
Falls Park Drive's responsible agency sets its routine interval under FHWA's risk-based inspection rules; this page does not expose the scheduled interval. It carries about 8,260 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Falls Park Drive is currently shown as Fair condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for Falls Park Drive?
Falls Park Drive has an NBI inventory load rating of 38.1 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Falls Park Drive?
Falls Park Drive is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is Falls Park Drive and does age affect safety?
Falls Park Drive was built in 1995, making it 31 years old.
Disclaimer: Bridge condition data is from the FHWA NBI and reflects the last reported inspection. A Poor condition rating is not a live declaration that a bridge is closed or unsafe for travel. For current closure, posting, or safety information, contact the responsible transportation agency.
Every figure on PlainBridge is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.