S. Cliff Avenue
Carrying S. Cliff Avenue over Big Sioux River
south of I-229, Minnehaha, South Dakota
Data updated May 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Bridge Snapshot: S. Cliff Avenue
The S. Cliff Avenue bridge in Minnehaha, South Dakota carries S. Cliff Avenue over Big Sioux River. It was built in 1986, making it 40 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel continuous and spans 4 sections, stretching 98.8 meters (324 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 9,363 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 4/9, superstructure at 6/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. At least one major component here scores 4 or below, which produces a Poor condition classification under FHWA's current reporting rules. Its NBI inventory load rating is 31.7 metric tons.
Sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See our methodology for refresh cadence and NBI release vintage.
How S. Cliff Avenue 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 How the historical reference is calculated.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
- 1986
- Material
- Steel Continuous
- Number of Spans
- 4
- Structure Length
- 98.8 m (324 ft)
- Deck Width
- 15.5 m (51 ft)
- Owner
- City/Municipal Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 9,363 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000050210232
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗Condition Analysis
- • At 4/9, the deck (driving surface) is in poor shape, with advanced wear flagged for priority repair.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
How to read this record
S. Cliff Avenue is in the federal Poor condition category. That is a component-based result, not a closure order.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Understand what Poor condition does and does not mean before drawing conclusions. Poor condition explained
- Compare S. Cliff Avenue 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 S. Cliff Avenue?
S. Cliff Avenue in Minnehaha, South Dakota has a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure rating of 6/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is S. Cliff Avenue inspected?
S. Cliff Avenue'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 9,363 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. S. Cliff Avenue is currently shown as Poor condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for S. Cliff Avenue?
S. Cliff Avenue has an NBI inventory load rating of 31.7 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining S. Cliff Avenue?
S. Cliff Avenue is owned and maintained by City/Municipal Highway Agency.
How old is S. Cliff Avenue and does age affect safety?
S. Cliff Avenue was built in 1986, making it 40 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.