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

US016AEF

Good

Over: GRIZZLY BEAR CK

AT KEYSTONE, Pennington, SD

Built 1973 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 1,993

32015 477TH AVE

Good

Over: CK

3.9N & 1.3E ELK POINT, Union, SD

Built 1997 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 45

104th Street

Good

Over: Wild Rice Creek

0.1S & 3.2E of Kidder, Marshall, SD

Built 2010 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 170

443rd Avenue

Good

Over: Little Vermillion River

4.8N & 2.0E of Salem, McCook, SD

Built 2005 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 45

BRADSKY ROAD

Good

Over: RAPID CK

3.5 W & 1.3 N CAPUTA, Pennington, SD

Built 2018 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 311

I029 S

Good

Over: I229 S & I029 S OFF RAMP

I 29 & I 229 INTERCHANGE, Lincoln, SD

Built 2016 Load: 50.7 t ADT: 27,905

US016A

Good

Over: US016A

1.8 S JCT SD 244, Pennington, SD

Built 1976 Load: 50.7 t ADT: 404

250 ST

Good

Over: CK

5.6E 3N PLANKINTON, Aurora, SD

Built 2018 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 60

320 AVENUE

Good

Over: SOUTH MEDICINE CK

0.3W 1.4S HARROLD, Hughes, SD

Built 2022 Load: 51.0 t ADT: 157

SD037 S

Good

Over: JAMES RV

4.6 MILE SOUTH JNCT SD34, Sanborn, SD

Built 2002 Load: 51.0 t ADT: 1,305

250TH ST HWY 114

Good

Over: WEST PIPESTONE CK

4.1W SHERMAN, Minnehaha, SD

Built 2015 Load: 51.1 t ADT: 906

IRR US018

Good

Over: WHITE CLAY CK

5.6 NW OF PINE RIDGE, Oglala Lakota, SD

Built 2011 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 2,241

397TH AVENUE

Good

Over: Enemy Creek

4.4 S MOUNT VERNON, Davison, SD

Built 2021 Load: 51.3 t ADT: 416

401ST AVENUE

Good

Over: ENEMY CK

7.3 N & 6E MT VERNON, Davison, SD

Built 2003 Load: 51.3 t ADT: 64

408TH AVE

Good

Over: CK

1.4MI S & 1MI W MITCHELL, Davison, SD

Built 2001 Load: 51.3 t ADT: 742

Summit Avenue

Good

Over: Ellis & Eastern Railroad

S of 14th Street - SF, Minnehaha, SD

Built 2004 Load: 51.3 t ADT: 2,472

481ST STREET

Good

Over: MEDARY CK

5E & 0.5N AURORA, Brookings, SD

Built 1999 Load: 51.4 t ADT: 92

SD037

Good

Over: DRY RUN CK

1.2 N I 90 INTERCHANGE, Davison, SD

Built 1996 Load: 51.4 t ADT: 9,143

SD019

Good

Over: CK

1.8 S JCT SD 44 EAST, Turner, SD

Built 1965 Load: 51.4 t ADT: 1,212

IRR SD065

Good

Over: BEAR CK

0.2 N JCT US 212, Ziebach, SD

Built 1984 Load: 51.4 t ADT: 588

SD071

Good

Over: CHEYENNE RV

10 S OF HOT SPRINGS, Fall River, SD

Built 1998 Load: 51.5 t ADT: 239

335 AVENUE

Good

Over: CK

2W & 0.1S JCT 44&47, Gregory, SD

Built 2023 Load: 51.5 t ADT: 15

413th Avenue

Good

Over: Foster Creeck

9.0N & 2.0W of Carpenter, Clark, SD

Built 2012 Load: 51.6 t ADT: 20

SIOUX LAND RD

Good

Over: CK

SUMMERSET, Meade, SD

Built 2008 Load: 51.6 t ADT: 50

157 STREET

Good

Over: NORTH FORK YELLOW BANK R

6E & 4S MILBANK, Grant, SD

Built 1990 Load: 51.7 t ADT: 33

123rd Street

Good

Over: Elm River

3S & 1E of Westport, Brown, SD

Built 2019 Load: 51.8 t ADT: 210

SD025

Good

Over: DAWSON CK

SE CORNER SCOTLAND, Bon Homme, SD

Built 2008 Load: 51.9 t ADT: 888

443 AVENUE

Good

Over: CK

2.2N 1W FLORENCE, Codington, SD

Built 1989 Load: 51.9 t ADT: 73

112th Street

Good

Over: Creek

6.5S & 0.2E of Claire Cty, Roberts, SD

Built 2009 Load: 51.9 t ADT: 23

476TH AVENUE

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY TO SIX MILE CK

2.0W & 3.7N BUSHNELL, Brookings, SD

Built 2005 Load: 52.0 t ADT: 55

IRR SD065

Good

Over: RED EARTH CK

3.1 S JCT SD 20, Ziebach, SD

Built 1984 Load: 52.0 t ADT: 588

45920 299 ST.

Good

Over: FROG CK

2S & 7.1E IRENE, Clay, SD

Built 2009 Load: 52.2 t ADT: 95

260 ST

Good

Over: PLATTE CK

8S 3.3W WHITE LAKE, Aurora, SD

Built 2004 Load: 52.3 t ADT: 82

378th Avenue

Good

Over: Richmond Lake

5.6N & 7.2W of Aberdeen, Brown, SD

Built 2019 Load: 52.3 t ADT: 98

193RD ST

Good

Over: TURTLE CK

9N & 1W WESSINGTON, Hand, SD

Built 1995 Load: 52.3 t ADT: 25

474TH AVENUE

Good

Over: MEDARY CK

2.1E & 4.2S BROOKINGS, Brookings, SD

Built 2003 Load: 52.4 t ADT: 25

SD087

Good

Over: GRACE COOLIDGE CK

4.2 N JCT US 16A, Custer, SD

Built 2005 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 730

241 ST

Good

Over: EAST FORK VERMILLION RV

4.4W ORLAND, Lake, SD

Built 2004 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 175

465th Avenue

Good

Over: Little Minnesota River

7E & 2.5S of Sisseton, Roberts, SD

Built 1996 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 68

485TH AVENUE

Good

Over: CK

2.4N & 1W ELKTON, Brookings, SD

Built 1990 Load: 52.7 t ADT: 92

US081

Good

Over: LITTLE VERMILLION RV

2.6 S MINER CO LINE, McCook, SD

Built 1947 Load: 52.7 t ADT: 1,222

IRR SD046

Good

Over: CK

2.0 E OF WAGNER, Charles Mix, SD

Built 1968 Load: 52.8 t ADT: 1,273

214th Street

Good

Over: S. Fork of Pearl Creek

6S & 2.1W of Iroquois, Beadle, SD

Built 2018 Load: 52.9 t ADT: 34

SD020

Good

Over: LITTLE MISSOURI RV

4.2 E MONTANA STATE LINE, Harding, SD

Built 2021 Load: 52.9 t ADT: 132

SD038

Good

Over: CK

3.3 W I 29 INTERCH, Minnehaha, SD

Built 1949 Load: 53.0 t ADT: 3,892

416th Avenue

Good

Over: Pickerel Creek

6S of Andover, Day, SD

Built 1995 Load: 53.2 t ADT: 42

US016 B (SE CONN)

Good

Over: SD044 SD RR (ABAND)

JCT US16B & SD44, Pennington, SD

Built 2002 Load: 53.2 t ADT: 16,648

30260 463 AVE.

Good

Over: CK

5.6S & 11E IRENE, Clay, SD

Built 2017 Load: 53.3 t ADT: 30

SOUTH CONNECTOR

Good

Over: PELICAN LAKE CHANNEL

0.2E & 0.3S OF JCT 20/212, Codington, SD

Built 2012 Load: 53.3 t ADT: 100

156 ST.

Good

Over: CK

4N & 0.3W LEBANON, Potter, SD

Built 1992 Load: 53.4 t ADT: 10

Showing 4,501-4,550 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.