South Dakota Highway 44

Route map:
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

US 281 near Corsica
East end I-29 near Worthing
Location
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Dakota
Highway system
  • South Dakota State Trunk Highway System
SD 43 SD 45

South Dakota Highway 44 (SD 44) is a

U.S. Route 385 (US 385) west of Rapid City to Interstate 29 (I-29) south of Sioux Falls
. It is just more than 379 miles (610 km) long.

Route description

SD 44 begins at a junction with US 385 and heads along a curvy road in a general southeasterly direction through the

Interstate 90 Business (I-90 Bus.) designation. A block north of here, SD 44 turns east onto Omaha Street and splits into a four-lane highway. It continues in that direction and intersects the southern terminus of I-190, as well as US 16.[4]

SD 44 and US 16 trek southeast for a short distance before US 16 splits off onto Mt Rushmore Road to the south and SD 44 continues heading southeast along Omaha Street. It crosses the

unincorporated Rapid Valley. The road parallels a railroad owned by the state of South Dakota as it leaves Rapid Valley and passes just south of the Rapid City Regional Airport.[4]

After departing from the Rapid City area, SD 44 continues southeast and heads through the unincorporated community of

The highway continues due south through the reservation and then turns easterly. It curves to the north and goes through Wanblee before turning back to the east and intersecting SD 73. SD 44 treks east through rolling hills before crossing into Mellette County and leaving the reservation. Just east of the county line, the highway meets SD 63. It continues running east and crosses the Little White River before intersecting US 83 on the western edge of the city of White River, the county seat of Mellette County. The two highways run south for about two miles (3.2 km) before SD 44 splits off to the east.[4]

East of US 83, SD 44 runs southeast through more rolling hills and journeys through

US 183, and the three routes run south for about four miles (6.4 km) before meeting US 18. At this intersection, SD 53 splits to the west, while SD 44 turns east with US 18 and US 183.[4]

The three routes run east toward Winner and enter the city from the northwest. In Winner, SD 44 breaks off from US 18 and US 183 and goes east, leaving the city. The road intersects SD 49 before leaving Tripp County for Gregory County. Just east of the county line lies SD 47, which SD 44 intersects and then heads farther east. The road starts to become more winding and hilly as it nears the Missouri River and Lake Francis Case. It intersects SD 1806 and then curves to the northeast and crosses the river into Charles Mix County.[4]

East of the Missouri River, SD 44 is a much flatter road. It meets SD 50 and heads east concurrent with the route. About two miles (3.2 km) east of this intersection, the highways meet SD 1804, then continue east toward Platte. In Platte, they meet the southern terminus of SD 45. After leaving the city, SD 44 and SD 50 run together until the Douglas county line, where SD 50 turns south while SD 44 continues east into Douglas County.[4]

SD 44 overlaps SD 19 in Parker

In Douglas County, SD 44 heads east for about 15 miles (24 km) before it arrives at a junction with

US 281 south of Corsica. It and US 281 run concurrent to the east for about three miles (4.8 km) before US 281 curves to the south and leaves SD 44, which runs east for about 12 miles (19 km) before entering Hutchinson County. Then, SD 44 reaches Parkston and intersects SD 37.[4]

East of SD 37, SD 44 continues east, then curves slightly to the north and crosses the

US 81 about one mile (1.6 km) before crossing into Turner County. In Turner County, SD 44 crosses the BNSF Railway[5] and then the west fork of the Vermillion River. The route enters Parker and crosses the river again, then meets SD 19.[4]

SD 44 and SD 19 run southeast together and leave Parker, then cross the BNSF Railway again. Later, SD 19 continues to run south and SD 44 turns to the east and passes over the east fork of the Vermillion River. Farther to the east, the highway enters Chancellor, where it bends in a southeasterly direction. It continues in this direction until it reaches the Lincoln county line, where it curves farther to the southeast toward Lennox.[4]

The route enters the city and turns to the east toward a junction with the southern terminus SD 17. At the SD 17 intersection, SD 44 turns due south and leaves Lennox. It treks in this direction for about one mile (1.6 km) before turning to the east. The highway runs east through rural Lincoln County for about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) before coming to its eastern terminus, a diamond interchange at I-29.[4]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1][2][3]kmDestinationsNotes
US 385 – Deadwood, Lead, Custer
Western terminus
I-90 BL
(West Main Street)
18.18029.258


I-190 north / US 16 west to I-90
Southern terminus of I-190, western end of US 16 concurrency
18.37829.577
US 16 east (Mt Rushmore Road) – Mount Rushmore
Eastern end of US 16 concurrency
18.91230.436
I-90 BL
(East Boulevard)
21.835–
22.091
35.140–
35.552


Folded diamond interchange
JacksonInterior91.505147.263
SD 377 north – Badlands National Park
Southern terminus of SD 377
127.270204.821 SD 73 – Martin, Kadoka
Mellette143.480230.909 SD 63 – Norris, Belvidere
White River166.469267.906
US 83 north – Murdo
Northern end of US 83 concurrency
168.780271.625
US 83 south – Mission
Southern end of US 83 concurrency
188.158302.811

SD 53 north to I-90
Western end of SD 53 concurrency
US 183 north – Presho
Western end of US 183 concurrency
211.890341.004

US 18 west / SD 53 south – Mission
Western end of US 18 concurrency, eastern end of SD 53 concurrency
US 183 south – Colome
Eastern end of US 18/US 183 concurrency
229.245368.934 SD 49 – Colome, Hamill
Gregory241.599388.816
SD 47 to I-90 – Gregory
255.017410.410
SD 1806 south
Charles Mix262.892423.084
SD 50 west – Academy
Western end of SD 50 concurrency
264.980426.444
SD 1804 south
Platte272.976439.312
SD 45 north
Southern terminus of SD 45
279.905450.463
SD 50 east – Geddes
Eastern end of SD 50 concurrency
US 281
north
Western end of US 281 concurrency
297.981479.554
US 281
south
Eastern end of US 281 concurrency
HutchinsonParkston315.740508.134 SD 37
345.035555.280
US 81
TurnerParker360.082579.496
SD 19 north
Western end of SD 19 concurrency
362.977584.155
SD 19 south
Eastern end of SD 19 concurrency
LincolnLennox373.468601.038
SD 17 north
Southern terminus of SD 17
378.914–
379.022
609.803–
609.977
I-29 – Sioux Falls, Sioux City, IAI-29 exit 64; eastern terminus.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "State Highway Log: Rapid City Region" (PDF). South Dakota Department of Transportation. January 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "State Highway Log: Pierre Region" (PDF). South Dakota Department of Transportation. January 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "State Highway Log: Mitchell Region" (PDF). South Dakota Department of Transportation. January 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Google (December 27, 2013). "South Dakota Highway 44" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Official South Dakota Rail Map (PDF) (Map). South Dakota Department of Transportation. October 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2013.

External links

KML is from Wikidata

Media related to South Dakota Highway 44 at Wikimedia Commons