State profile · Above median Poor share

South Dakota bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in South Dakota.

5,887
Public bridges
33.8%
Good condition
16.4%
Poor condition

South Dakota holds 5,887 public highway bridges (#33 of 52 by inventory) with a 16.36% Poor share (#3 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 16.4% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 51 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

5,887

Public highway bridges in South Dakota

Good Condition

33.8%

1,992 bridges rated 7-9

-16.2pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

16.4%

963 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

8.8pp vs national avg 7.5%

South Dakota vs national bridge condition

South Dakota - Good condition share 33.8%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

South Dakota - Poor-condition share 54.5%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

South Dakota in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: South Dakota has 5,887 bridges and a 16.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #51 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: South Dakota has 5,887 bridges and a 16.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #51 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

South Dakota vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

5,887 33rd of 54 higher than 21 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for South Dakota

The highlighted point is South Dakota: 5,887 bridges and 16.36% in Poor condition, rank #51 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below South Dakota on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Rhode Island: 783 bridges · 15.20% Poor
  • Maine: 2,518 bridges · 15.41% Poor
  • South Dakota: 5,887 bridges · 16.36% Poor
  • West Virginia: 7,348 bridges · 18.64% Poor
  • Iowa: 23,719 bridges · 19.16% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in South Dakota

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 5,887 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains South Dakota’s inventory

State agency holds 31.3% of the 5,887 public highway bridges filed under South Dakota in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When South Dakota’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 18.2% of the 5,887 bridges with a recorded original year in South Dakota. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

South Dakota33.8%49.8%16.4%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - South Dakota (FHWA NBI)

Counties (66)

Aurora 61 Beadle 152 Bennett 15 Bon Homme 126 Brookings 233 Brown 170 Brule 38 Buffalo 25 Butte 143 Campbell 15 Charles Mix 103 Clark 20 Clay 94 Codington 74 Corson 49 Custer 95 Davison 123 Day 34 Deuel 72 Dewey 28 Douglas 44 Edmunds 20 Fall River 80 Faulk 46 Grant 205 Gregory 51 Haakon 69 Hamlin 62 Hand 126 Hanson 62 Harding 49 Hughes 40 Hutchinson 161 Hyde 23 Jackson 89 Jerauld 35 Jones 37 Kingsbury 35 Lake 79 Lawrence 136 Lincoln 207 Lyman 114 Marshall 39 McCook 98 McPherson 14 Meade 215 Mellette 28 Miner 64 Minnehaha 393 Moody 87 Oglala Lakota 34 Pennington 348 Perkins 60 Potter 24 Roberts 157 Sanborn 53 Spink 176 Stanley 37 Sully 31 Todd 24 Tripp 90 Turner 143 Union 170 Walworth 33 Yankton 99 Ziebach 30

South Dakota vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below South Dakota on the same metric.

RI

Rhode Island

15.20% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$783

ME

Maine

15.41% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,518
Selected

SD

South Dakota

16.36% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,887

WV

West Virginia

18.64% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$7,348

IA

Iowa

19.16% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$23,719

Bridges Needing Most Attention in South Dakota

Six lowest-condition bridges in South Dakota, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

SMITHWICK ROAD

Poor

Over: WHITE RIVER

.75 KM NE OF BIA RTE 41, Oglala Lakota, SD

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 10

395th Avenue

Poor

Over: Cain Creek

8.6S & 5W of Huron, Beadle, SD

Built 1926 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 56

216 ST

Poor

Over: SOUTH FORK PEARL CK

8.0S 1.5W CAVOUR, Beadle, SD

Built 1924 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 56

200TH ST

Poor

Over: SHUE CK

8N 0.8E CAVOUR, Beadle, SD

Built 1912 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 56

412th Avenue

Poor

Over: Middle Pearl Creek

5.1S & 3E of Cavour, Beadle, SD

Built 1930 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 56

41480 299th Street

Poor

Over: Emanuel Creek

4N & 1.2W of Tyndall, Bon Homme, SD

Built 1905 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 20

All Bridges in South Dakota

I029 S

Fair

Over: 250 ST

BALTIC INTERCHANGE, Minnehaha, SD

Built 1963 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 10,170

I090 W

Fair

Over: RCP&E RR

1.4 W EXIT 67, Pennington, SD

Built 1963 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 9,610

I090 E

Fair

Over: RCP&E RR

1.4 W EXIT 67, Pennington, SD

Built 1963 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 9,610

US014 E

Fair

Over: WEST BR SIX MILE CK

0.2 SE JCT US 14 BY-PASS, Brookings, SD

Built 1967 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 2,109

US014 W

Fair

Over: WEST BR SIX MILE CK

0.2 SE JCT US 14 BY-PASS, Brookings, SD

Built 1970 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 2,109

SD028

Fair

Over: PEG MUNKY RUN CK

1.5 E HAMLIN CO LINE, Deuel, SD

Built 2004 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 1,303

372ND AVE

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK SNAKE CK

8.4S CHELSEA, Faulk, SD

Built 1988 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 106

E 10TH ST

Fair

Over: I229

10TH & I229 INTERCHANGE, Minnehaha, SD

Built 1995 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 35,954

US014 E

Fair

Over: BIG SIOUX RV OVERFLOW

1.7 E OF VOLGA, Brookings, SD

Built 1978 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 4,096

IRR SD025

Fair

Over: UPPER LITTLE MINNESOTA R

0.3 N JCT SD 106, Roberts, SD

Built 1965 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 460

I090 E

Fair

Over: US014A

EXIT 30 US14A INTERCHANGE, Meade, SD

Built 1963 Load: 40.3 t ADT: 10,470

ALKALI RD.

Fair

Over: BELLE FOURCHE RV

3 W HEREFORD, Meade, SD

Built 1983 Load: 40.3 t ADT: 40

SD1804

Fair

Over: CHEYENNE CK

3.7 N JCT US 212, Potter, SD

Built 1969 Load: 40.3 t ADT: 277

SD089

Fair

Over: DRY RUN CK

7.2 N FALL RIVER CO LINE, Custer, SD

Built 1970 Load: 40.4 t ADT: 990

US085 S

Fair

Over: REDWATER RV

AT BUTTE CO LINE, Lawrence, SD

Built 1986 Load: 40.4 t ADT: 4,417

US085 S

Fair

Over: POLO CK

1 S I 90 INTERCH, Lawrence, SD

Built 1971 Load: 40.4 t ADT: 3,439

Minnesota Avenue

Fair

Over: Big Sioux Diversion

south of 60th Street N, Minnehaha, SD

Built 1972 Load: 40.4 t ADT: 5,640

US014 E

Fair

Over: SIX MILE CK

1 SE JCT US 14 BY-PASS, Brookings, SD

Built 1967 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,917

US014 W

Fair

Over: SIX MILE CK

1 SE JCT US 14 BY-PASS, Brookings, SD

Built 1970 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,917

I090 W

Fair

Over: 286 AVE (FAS 6259)

4.7 W US 83 N INTERCHANGE, Jones, SD

Built 1970 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 3,730

KIRK RD

Fair

Over: WHITEWOOD CK

1.0E 0.5S LEAD, Lawrence, SD

Built 2004 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 69

469th Avenue

Fair

Over: Saddle Creek

8.9S & 3E of Lennox, Lincoln, SD

Built 2010 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 135

IRR BIA RTE 44

Fair

Over: WEST FORK OF OAK CREEK

1 KM NE OF MAHTO, Corson, SD

Built 1961 Load: 40.6 t ADT: 213

I090 E

Fair

Over: 419 AVE

2.1 W SD 262 INTERCH, Hanson, SD

Built 1965 Load: 40.6 t ADT: 6,555

I090 W

Fair

Over: US014A

EXIT 30 US14A/SD34 INTERC, Meade, SD

Built 1963 Load: 40.6 t ADT: 10,470

I090 E

Fair

Over: 286 AVE (FAS 6259)

4.7 W US 83 N INTERCHANGE, Jones, SD

Built 1970 Load: 40.7 t ADT: 3,730

NEW UNDERWOOD RD.

Fair

Over: BELLE FOURCHE RV

17 N NEW UNDERWOOD, Meade, SD

Built 1975 Load: 40.7 t ADT: 280

SD026

Fair

Over: MEDICINE CK

0.3 E HAND CO LINE, Spink, SD

Built 1989 Load: 40.7 t ADT: 244

I029 S

Fair

Over: 152 ST

2 N CODINGTON CO LINE, Grant, SD

Built 1977 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 3,445

I029 N

Fair

Over: 152 ST

2 N CODINGTON CO LINE, Grant, SD

Built 1976 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 3,445

SD109

Fair

Over: BURLINGTON NORTHERN RR

0.1 N JCT US 12, Grant, SD

Built 1983 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,177

SD073

Fair

Over: WEST PLUM CK

2.8 S JCT SD 34, Haakon, SD

Built 1990 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 422

I090 W

Fair

Over: 419 AVE

2.1 W SD 262 INTERCH, Hanson, SD

Built 1965 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 6,555

US014A PINE ST

Fair

Over: WHITEWOOD CK

AT JCT US 85 S, Lawrence, SD

Built 1967 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 10,880

241 STREET

Fair

Over: CK

5.3W & 10N KIMBALL, Brule, SD

Built 1959 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 45

US085 N

Fair

Over: POLO CK

1 S I 90 INTERCH, Lawrence, SD

Built 1971 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 3,439

309 AVENUE

Fair

Over: MEDICINE KNOLL CK

0.3 W 1 S BLUNT, Hughes, SD

Built 2003 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 150

I229 NF (WESTERN)

Fair

Over: BIG SIOUX RV

0.1 S I 229 INTERCH, Minnehaha, SD

Built 1995 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 17,000

SHERIDAN LAKE ROAD

Fair

Over: SPRING CK

1.9N3.4W.ROCKERVILLE, Pennington, SD

Built 1974 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 933

SHERIDAN LAKE ROAD

Fair

Over: SPRING CK

1.8N3.3W ROCKERVILLE, Pennington, SD

Built 1974 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 933

SD044

Fair

Over: CK

2.2 E JCT US16B & SD 44, Pennington, SD

Built 2008 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 5,934

133rd Street

Fair

Over: Foot Creek

1.9W of Aberdeen, Brown, SD

Built 2002 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 60

SD044

Fair

Over: CK

1.2 W JCT SD 47, Gregory, SD

Built 1971 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 568

LIBERTY BLVD.

Fair

Over: I090

EXIT 67, Pennington, SD

Built 2002 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 7,957

48480 298TH ST

Fair

Over: CK

12.8E BERESFORD, Union, SD

Built 1987 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 55

SD011

Fair

Over: SPLIT ROCK CK

0.4 S OF GARRETSON, Minnehaha, SD

Built 1964 Load: 41.2 t ADT: 3,286

US012 E

Fair

Over: BNSF RR

3.2 W JCT SD 37, Brown, SD

Built 2005 Load: 41.3 t ADT: 2,783

I029 N

Fair

Over: PEG MUNKY RUN CK

0.9 N SD 28 INTERCH, Deuel, SD

Built 1973 Load: 41.3 t ADT: 4,290

SD013

Fair

Over: SPRING CK

5.2 S BROOKINGS CO LINE, Moody, SD

Built 1963 Load: 41.3 t ADT: 1,135

161ST AVENUE

Fair

Over: BOXELDER CK

0.6S NEW UNDERWOOD, Pennington, SD

Built 1973 Load: 41.3 t ADT: 780

Showing 2,401-2,450 of 5,887 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What to do with this

Use South Dakota's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in South Dakota and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. South Dakota Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.