South Dakota Highway 37
Encyclopedia
South Dakota Highway 37 is a state route that runs across eastern South Dakota
. It begins at the Nebraska
border northeast of Niobrara, Nebraska, as a continuation of Nebraska Highway 14
. It runs to the North Dakota
border north of Hecla, where it continues as North Dakota Highway 1
. It is 242 miles (389.5 km) in length.
On the south end, the road ended at the Missouri River
at Running Water. A seasonal ferry was in place to carry traffic across the river. A direct connection via bridge did not open until 1998 when the Chief Standing Bear Memorial Bridge
was completed.
In the early and mid-1930s, the segment between Huron and Tripp was co-numbered as U.S. Highway 281. This concurrency was dropped by 1936, when U.S. 281 was realigned further west.
The segment between Huron and Mitchell was upgraded to a 4-lane expressway, and was largely completed by 2004. A minor rerouting around the west end of Mitchell occurred, resulting in a 2 miles (3.2 km) concurrency with Interstate 90
.
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. It begins at the Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
border northeast of Niobrara, Nebraska, as a continuation of Nebraska Highway 14
Nebraska Highway 14
Nebraska Highway 14 is a highway in Nebraska. It has a southern terminus at the Kansas border southwest of Superior and a northern terminus east of Niobrara at the South Dakota border.-Route description:...
. It runs to the North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
border north of Hecla, where it continues as North Dakota Highway 1
North Dakota Highway 1
North Dakota Highway 1 is a major north–south highway in North Dakota. It runs from Manitoba Highway 31 in Maida to South Dakota Highway 37 south of Ludden.-External links:* by Chris Geelhart...
. It is 242 miles (389.5 km) in length.
History
South Dakota 37 was in place by 1926, and largely has used the same alignment since. The only significant exception was in northeast South Dakota, where SD 37 originally went westward from Groton to Bath, then north via Columbia to Houghton, where it continued to Hecla. This segment was rerouted to the current alignment by 1929.On the south end, the road ended at the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
at Running Water. A seasonal ferry was in place to carry traffic across the river. A direct connection via bridge did not open until 1998 when the Chief Standing Bear Memorial Bridge
Chief Standing Bear Memorial Bridge
The Chief Standing Bear Memorial Bridge is a bridge across the Missouri River at the Nebraska–South Dakota border. Located near Niobrara, Nebraska, not far downstream from the confluence of the Niobrara River with the Missouri, it joins Nebraska Highway 14 to South Dakota Highway 37.The...
was completed.
In the early and mid-1930s, the segment between Huron and Tripp was co-numbered as U.S. Highway 281. This concurrency was dropped by 1936, when U.S. 281 was realigned further west.
The segment between Huron and Mitchell was upgraded to a 4-lane expressway, and was largely completed by 2004. A minor rerouting around the west end of Mitchell occurred, resulting in a 2 miles (3.2 km) concurrency with Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
.
List of counties
South Dakota 37 currently travels through 7 counties, from south to north:- Bon Homme CountyBon Homme County, South DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 7,260 people, 2,635 households, and 1,786 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile . There were 3,007 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...
- Hutchinson CountyHutchinson County, South DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 8,075 people, 3,190 households, and 2,191 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 3,517 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
- Davison CountyDavison County, South DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 18,741 people, 7,585 households, and 4,770 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile . There were 8,093 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
- Sanborn CountySanborn County, South DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 2,675 people, 1,043 households, and 732 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were 1,220 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
- Beadle CountyBeadle County, South DakotaBeadle County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,398. Its county seat is Huron.Beadle County is the only county in the Huron Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
- Spink CountySpink County, South DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 7,454 people, 2,847 households, and 1,933 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were 3,352 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
- Brown County