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

486TH AVENUE

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1W & 0.7S VALLEY SPRINGS, Minnehaha, SD

Built 1999 Load: 42.5 t ADT: 74

ORMAN ROAD

Good

Over: CK

1 N 4.3 W NEWELL, Butte, SD

Built 2022 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 72

39430 291st Street

Good

Over: Choteau Creek

6.0N & 0.7W of Wagner, Charles Mix, SD

Built 1997 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 48

IRR US212

Good

Over: LITTLE BEAR CK

1.8 E ZIEBACH CO LINE, Dewey, SD

Built 2023 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 1,272

471 AVENUE

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK WHETSTONE RV

0.5 MI N. OF TWIN BROOKS, Grant, SD

Built 2008 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 100

SD020

Good

Over: CLARKS FORK CK

8.8 E JCT US 85, Harding, SD

Built 1995 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 158

US014

Good

Over: NORTH MEDICINE CK

1.4 NE OF BLUNT, Hughes, SD

Built 1985 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 1,933

ST ONGE ROAD

Good

Over: FALSE BOTTOM CK

2.6 S ST. ONGE, Lawrence, SD

Built 2023 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 600

145TH AVE.

Good

Over: BEAR BUTTE CK

7 E 3 N BEAR BUTTE, Meade, SD

Built 2017 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 15

I029 N

Good

Over: W BENSON RD

BENSON RD INTERCHANGE, Minnehaha, SD

Built 2002 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 24,185

SD258

Good

Over: SNOW CK

0.5N & E I90 INTERCHANGE, Aurora, SD

Built 1950 Load: 42.7 t ADT: 807

SD034

Good

Over: CROW CK

0.7 W JCT SD 45, Buffalo, SD

Built 1987 Load: 42.7 t ADT: 468

SD042

Good

Over: EAST FORK VERMILLION RV

1.9 W MINNEHAHA CO LINE, McCook, SD

Built 1984 Load: 42.7 t ADT: 2,440

469th Avenue

Good

Over: Drainage Ditch

0.8S of Browns Valley MN, Roberts, SD

Built 2012 Load: 42.7 t ADT: 328

SD026

Good

Over: SHAEFER CK

2.8 W JCT SD 45, Hand, SD

Built 2019 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 142

IRR SD010

Good

Over: CK

1.5 W JCT SD 127 N, Roberts, SD

Built 2019 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 6,952

230TH STREET

Good

Over: REDSTONE CK

2N & 1.6E FORESTBURG, Sanborn, SD

Built 1992 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 75

FDR 345

Good

Over: IRON CREEK

T 2 S R 5 E SEC 36, Custer, SD

Built 1957 Load: 42.8 t ADT: 25

ORMAN RD

Good

Over: INDIAN CK

1 N 4.7 W NEWELL, Butte, SD

Built 2021 Load: 42.9 t ADT: 72

I090 W

Good

Over: I90 EF

2.8 E SD 47 INTERCH, Lyman, SD

Built 1972 Load: 42.9 t ADT: 3,650

I090 W

Good

Over: CLIFF AVE

CLIFF AVENUE INTERCHANGE, Minnehaha, SD

Built 2013 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 11,240

241st Street

Good

Over: Pipestone Creek

7.3E & 1S of Trent, Moody, SD

Built 2002 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 45

US281

Good

Over: CK

4.8N & 0.2W CORSICA, Douglas, SD

Built 1998 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 1,294

367TH AVE

Good

Over: LITTLE TURTLE CK

7E & 6.6N MILLER, Hand, SD

Built 1932 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 43

US083

Good

Over: HORSE CK

3.1 N MELLETTE CO LINE, Jones, SD

Built 2019 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 1,375

26TH ST

Good

Over: I029

26TH ST INTERCHANGE, Minnehaha, SD

Built 1996 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 20,500

176 STREET

Good

Over: OKOBOJO CK

4E AGAR, Sully, SD

Built 2023 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 230

I090 W

Good

Over: DAKOTA & IOWA RR

0.8 W SD 115 INTERCH, Minnehaha, SD

Built 1992 Load: 43.2 t ADT: 13,405

27370 461 AVE

Good

Over: LONG CK

3.3N CHANCELLOR, Turner, SD

Built 2004 Load: 43.2 t ADT: 657

SD046

Good

Over: CK

1 N IOWA STATE LINE, Union, SD

Built 1954 Load: 43.2 t ADT: 1,831

SD045

Good

Over: DRAINAGE CHANNEL

0.3 N JCT SD 44, Charles Mix, SD

Built 1994 Load: 43.3 t ADT: 4,706

420th Avenue

Good

Over: Creek

1E & 1.7N of Pierpont, Day, SD

Built 2009 Load: 43.3 t ADT: 25

110th Street

Good

Over: Little Minnesota River

4S & 0.5W of Hammer, Roberts, SD

Built 2014 Load: 43.3 t ADT: 68

SD044

Good

Over: WEST FORK VERMILLION RV

2.9 W JCT SD 19, Turner, SD

Built 1976 Load: 43.3 t ADT: 2,330

I090

Good

Over: TRIB W VERMILLION RV

1.4 E US 81 INTERCH, McCook, SD

Built 2021 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 6,085

US081

Good

Over: JAMES RV

1.7 S JCT SD 46, Yankton, SD

Built 2000 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 3,606

SD052

Good

Over: SNATCH CK

6.0 E JCT SD 37, Bon Homme, SD

Built 2005 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 836

6TH ST

Good

Over: FRENCH CK

6th St S of Washington St, Custer, SD

Built 1994 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 50

7TH ST

Good

Over: FRENCH CK

7th St S of Washington St, Custer, SD

Built 1994 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 50

464 AVE

Good

Over: BUFFALO CK

1.6S CHESTER, Lake, SD

Built 2020 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 883

ST ONGE ROAD

Good

Over: FALSE BOTTOM CK

0.1W 1.3S. ST. ONGE, Lawrence, SD

Built 2023 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 600

255TH ST

Good

Over: SKUNK CK

1.8W & 7S COLTON, Minnehaha, SD

Built 2014 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 13

I229 S

Good

Over: E RICE ST BUR NOR RR

RICE ST INTERCHANGE, Minnehaha, SD

Built 1994 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 14,390

478TH AVE HWY 121

Good

Over: SLIP-UP CK

4E & 2.5S BALTIC, Minnehaha, SD

Built 2014 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 1,251

478TH AVE HWY 121

Good

Over: SLIP-UP CK

4E & 3.5S BALTIC, Minnehaha, SD

Built 2014 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 1,340

SD044

Good

Over: CK

17.7 SE OF SCENIC, Pennington, SD

Built 1983 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 486

US012

Good

Over: BURLINGTON NORTHERN RR

0.2 S JCT SD 130 E, Walworth, SD

Built 1969 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 1,900

SD052

Good

Over: CHARLEY CK

1.2 W JCT SD 50, Bon Homme, SD

Built 2005 Load: 43.6 t ADT: 836

SD019

Good

Over: VERMILLION RV

0.1 S JCT SD 46, Clay, SD

Built 2004 Load: 43.6 t ADT: 830

ANAMOSA STREET

Good

Over: RCP&E RR

0.5 S 0.4 E I90 EXIT 59, Pennington, SD

Built 2012 Load: 43.6 t

Showing 4,251-4,300 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.